iSANiTY: Cold Hearts
by ZeroFoxGiven
Summary: "They've kept us hidden behind twisted lies and binary code, but our age of peaceful anonymity has ended..." When high-tech and deadly organization iSANiTY emerge from their digital slumber, the thin line between morality and necessity is shattered. Judy will face her most dangerous case yet, while Nick must reconcile with a figure from his past in order to save Zootopia.
1. Cold Beginnings

**Hey everyone, it's been a while! Thanks for clicking on our story, and we hope you enjoy it :) now for the really long intro!**

 **Nyxy:** _Since I'm the one who's good with fancy words, I'll do the explaining here. As you already know, this is a Zootopia fanficton being written by two crazy friends._

 _It's fairly AU, but could technically follow the film if the strings were pulled just so. Without giving away too many spoilers, it will focus on our favourite ZPD officers as well as new allies and enemies, most of who will have ties to the iSANiTY experiments of Feralhights City. Expect plenty of action, futuristic gadgets and general adventure with a healthy dose of friendship, sarcasm and good times. There will also be an eventual romance, but we're not gonna rush into that part right away._

 _As for iSANiTY and their small but determined challenger BlackIce, you'll have to read the fic and find out. What I will say is that it features cybernetically enhanced animals, around 3/4 of who have been corrupted by iSANiTY's distorted worldview._

 _As the stakes begin to rise, what originally seemed like a handful of unrelated high-tech crimes may turn out to be something far older and more elaborate than anyone could've possibly imagined. Join the ZPD's Judy and Nick as well as mysterious newcomers BlackIce as they battle against unknown foes, old feelings and a group of criminals so good at what they do, they're considered by most to be nothing more than speculative fiction. It'll take everything Zootopia's got to bring them down, but sometimes the hardest choice is the ONLY choice._

 _The main genres featured are Science Fiction, Adventure, Friendship and Romance, though I'm sure you'll find others if you look hard enough. A word of warning to all you shippers out there: this fic is NOT Judy x Nick. Why? Because neither of us ship it. We've got nothing against those who do, it's just not our thing, and as friends with a similar dynamic, we prefer them as super-close besties. There aren't nearly enough meaningful platonic relationships in fiction these days that don't turn romantic, so we're gonna leave them as friends._

 _Oh, and an even more important warning: this fic has a high chance of eventually featuring a Nick x OC pairing, so if you're not cool with that, I'd suggest skipping. Hey, it was Steffi's idea, and she's insanely stubborn when she gets something in her head... and yeah, I can hear the back buttons clicking already. C'est la vie._

 **Steffi:** _K, Nyx that's enough :C So welcome peeps, and thanks for not clicking back! If you haven't skipped the wall of text (and I don't blame you if you did XD) then you'll know a bit about this story and what it'll eventually feature. Cool right?_

 **Now, for what you've been waiting for! The actual story!**

 ** _DISCLAIMER: We don't own anything here, and we're not making any money, so please Let It Go, Disney?_**

* * *

Judy Hopps sat wordlessly beside her partner Nick Wilde as they waited for Chief Bogo to finish handing out the day's assignments, tapping her paw absentmindedly as she went over the same case in her mind for what had to be at least the hundredth time that morning.

 _"Officers Fangmeyer and Wolford..."_

She felt someone bump against her arm and heard Nick make some sarcastic quip, but if she were being honest, her attention was focused elsewhere at the moment.

Ever since they'd been assigned to the first case of mysterious amnesia, she'd had a hard time turning off her inner detective. Filling a page with scribbled notes and theories, the bunny had spent the last few nights hunched over her desk as she flipped though a case file barely thicker than the one that had started it all, with nothing but lamplight and the noise of her neighbors to keep her company.

So far, she hadn't been able to find anything useful, but the spirited animal wasn't about to give up. _If there was one thing Judy knew, it was that hard work and determination paid off in the end._

Now, one case of amnesia could easily be passed off as something just a bit out of the ordinary, perhaps the result of a simple accident. However, when a second incident with an identical set of bizarre similarities emerged, Judy knew right away she'd stumbled upon something bigger. What exactly that something was had yet to be discovered, but the bunny cop was determined that with a bit of help, she'd figure it out.

Going over the details yet again, Judy had to admit it was one of the strangest and most difficult cases she'd encountered so far. The victims themselves couldn't have been more different if they'd tried. One had been a wealthy middle-aged female antelope, the other a male badger barely out of his teens and already living off the streets.

Ms. Hoofington hadn't been able to recall any notable occurrences from within the last year aside from purchasing her current residence, while Mr. Underhill remembered a few sporadic events but couldn't name the current mayor or date when prompted. Both mammals had been utterly useless when it came to recounting the details of their encounter, and due to the amount of fear and confusion she'd witnessed during the interviews, Judy was sure they weren't holding anything back on purpose.

What made matters even more complicated were how many features the incidents shared, with descriptions matching closely enough that Judy was convinced they'd been committed by the same mammal or mammals. Both victims had been knocked unconscious by an animal careful to avoid causing any excessive injury, displayed identically tiny facial wounds, and had received basic treatment from someone with a reasonable amount of medical knowledge before waking up.

If that weren't strange enough, absolutely nothing of value had been taken from either of them, which included their IDs, credit cards, a brand new phone and the designer purse filled with a thousand or so dollars that Ms. Hoofington had been carrying at the time of her attack.

 _Whoever they were,_ Judy concluded, _they weren't your average money-hungry_ _criminals._ Nick had been the one to point out how both cases had occurred in areas without any form of surveillance or monitoring, something which given the nature of the events, seemed far too intentional to be passed off as a mere coincidence. It suggested a great deal of foresight, and that whoever committed the crimes had known their chosen area quite well...

"Hey, Earth to Carrots!"

Her train of thought interrupted, Judy's ears perked up in surprise as she caught a glimpse of Delgato's tail exiting through the doorway and realized with a start that her and her partner were the last two in the room. She immediately turned her attention to Bogo, whose expression of annoyance was a dead giveaway that she'd been caught staring into space during their briefing.

"Officer Hopps and Officer Wilde, you'll be interested to know that another witness was found for Monday night's amnesia case. The couple you interviewed yesterday came across her in one of their photographs, and it will be your job to track her down and interview her. The images were taken about half an hour before the discovery of Mr. Underhill, so she may not have been in the direct area, but I have my suspicions. Wilde, there's a good chance your _special connections_ will make this easier, so I expect that you won't disappoint us. Dismissed."

After collecting their file from a donut-murdering Clawhauser, they sat down to look over the somewhat meager new evidence. Calmly sipping his coffee, the fox watched as Judy studied a somewhat blurry image with curiosity, turning it over a few times as though that would somehow reveal their witness's identity.

"Well, what have we got?" Nick asked, leaning on the counter with his usual confidence and half-lidded expression.

"Arctic fox by the looks of it," Judy said, noticing out of the corner of her eye how his ears pricked in interest at the mention of another fox, "and I love her outfit."

Nick laughed, taking another sip from his cup. "Typical Carrots, admiring fashion statements while we're supposed to be solving a case."

When he caught sight of the image, however, his eyes widened in shock and he practically choked on his favorite blueberry specialty brew. Judy found this reaction oddly amusing, especially now that he was struggling in vain to regain his usual composure.

 _"What's wrong_ , _Nick,_ " she asked sweetly, "is she another crime boss who took advantage of your wonderful deal on skunk butt rugs?"

"No, worse," he muttered quietly, looking over the image with a dumbfounded expression, not all that unlike someone unfortunate enough to have been struck in the face by a particularly large salmon.

 _"Worse?"_ Judy inquired dramatically, her face alight with mock terror. "You mean she's a secret international assassin out for your blood?"

Nick glared at her, and she'd never seen the fox struggle so obviously when it came to thinking up a witty response.

"You're pretty close with that one, but still a no."

The bunny giggled, throwing up her paws in surrender. "Alright, alright, I give up! Who is she really?"

Tugging awkwardly at the collar of his uniform, the fox's ears dropped as he sighed darkly in defeat.

"If you absolutely must know, she's my ex."

Judy's jaw practically fell open, and she stayed completely silent for what felt like a very long few seconds. She'd expected the arctic vixen to be someone Nick owed money to, or the victim of some con he'd pulled off, but this was too good! It was as though she'd been handed unlimited cheat codes to their game of snarky banter, and she'd be darned if she didn't make good use of them.

A wide grin spread across the bunny's face as she began to laugh uncontrollably, slamming her paw against the counter as she tried desperately to catch her breath.

Clawhauser, who was so engrossed in watching Gazelle's new music video that he'd been oblivious to the entire conversation, nearly dropped his phone from the sudden influx of noise. Setting it down rather awkwardly, he watched the other animals with confusion written all over his chubby, cheerful form.

 _"No way,"_ Judy gasped, _"you should've seen the look on your face when you first saw that picture!_ I thought she was someone who'd been plotting to kill you or something."

Nick, who wasn't amused by Judy's outburst or Clawhauser's curious gaze, kept his voice completely deadpan. "She probably is."

This only made the violet-eyed animal laugh harder. He shrugged, trying to play it off with an air of disinterest.

"Hey, if you'd dated someone like her, you'd be scared too." A fairly smooth recovery, but not nearly smooth enough to fool the ZPD's very first rabbit officer.

Judy only managed to mumble something incoherent that sounded a lot like 'dumb fox' before succumbing to another fit of laughter. Whether or not the vixen was actually connected to their case, it was going to be an entertaining day, and the bunny couldn't wait to get going.

* * *

 _ **Two days earlier...**_

 _"Scan complete. No video or audio surveillance devices active on the premises. Three mammals in the_ approximate _area, and one is our target. Takedown initiative running clear, so bring 'em around, Wynter,"_ the youthful voice droned, his tone managing to be both lazily technical and deadpan despite the tension of their current situation.

A white form hidden amongst the shadows of Sahara Square sighed quietly, idly tapping at her earring-shaped communication device as she glanced around the corner with anticipation, briefly catching the faint scents of cheap cologne and electronic equipment before they began to mingle unpleasantly with dingy alleyway air.

 _"Will do, Otto. I'm switching you to standby for now, but keep your eyes open as always. I'll take it from here until we're ready to cut the wire, if it comes to that."_ Her voice was steely and practiced, masking the sound of a faint accent.

 _Operation i37_ was setting up to be another routine case, but the slender mammal kept one pristine white paw on the curved handle of her weapon, taking comfort in the familiarity of its chrome embrace.

Such cold, hard rationality had not been innate in the petite animal's psyche, but she'd learned just a little too quickly how important caution could be in a world gone mad. _By all rights, she shouldn't have even been here._ Only the education unit's best graduating agents were selected to lead Zootopia's elite squad, and she'd barely scraped by as a consideration after finishing in seventh place.

No, if things had worked out differently, she wouldn't be here at all. She was, however, a fact that had less to do with her leadership skills and more to do with the notably high mortality rate of her chosen profession. It wasn't something to be proud of, but she'd long since accepted it and chose instead to focus on the seemingly unending task at paw.

Back pressed uncomfortably flat against a grimy brick wall, she gestured to the three comrades in her field of view with an effortless flick of the wrist. Each gave a brisk nod in response, awaiting further instruction.

"Alright _Icers_ , you know the drill. I knock him down, Sinpurr snips the wire if there is one, Doe recovers our prize and Diesel," she said, turning her attention to a grinning red squirrel clutching a futuristic-looking gun nearly as large as herself, "you're on watch and distract duty. Clear?"

The former two agreed calmly and without a word, but Diesel was not to be outshone quite so easily.

"Aw, come on _boss._ Lemme have some fun, just this once?" Her reflective eyes gleamed with false innocence, but Wynter knew better than to fall for it. She'd been all but taken for a ride by someone far more sly and convincing than Diesel in her youth, and this time the arctic vixen refused to budge. _Another thing chalked up to_ _experience, she thought bitterly._

The rust-colored squirrel opened her mouth to continue the protest, but she wasn't given a chance.

"No," Wynter hissed, cutting her off, "because last time you did that, we almost got caught. We're doing nothing wrong here, but I don't think the authorities would see it that way. Watch and distract duty for you, _kid,_ " she said sarcastically, shaking her head in a show of annoyance.

Puffing out her tiny chest and scowling dramatically, the squirrel made no effort to hide her feelings of frustration and disappointment. Still, she wasn't arguing, and when it came to Diesel, that had to count for something.

Sliding as gracefully as she could along a particularly rough patch of mortar, the white fox grimaced and lowered her ears in miserable defeat when she felt something sharp and jagged tear through thin fabric of her black jumpsuit. The others followed her lead without complaint, and Wynter had to hope for their sake that it wasn't as uncomfortable. Maybe she'd just gotten lucky. _Yeah, right._ Like she'd ever been lucky in her life.

 _"Otto, gimme a position check before we run this,"_ she ordered, gently pulling Diesel back from the corner of the alleyway by her tail and earning a defeated chatter in return.

 _"As I said before, we're clear. The teenage couple two streets down is too busy smashing their snouts together to see anything, and our target is heading this way fast,"_ the ocelot replied in his usual vacant tone, staring at his manicured claws in mock-boredom.

Wynter sighed, flicking her fluffy tail indignantly. "Thanks, _Sinpurr,_ " she snapped, using the feline's last name for emphasis.

As much as she hated to admit it, Otto had been right. Her nose twitched intently, once again catching a whiff of brand-new technology. He was getting closer, and at an unnaturally quick pace. She'd been doubtful at first, but it seemed their target had the potential to be one of _them._ If that was the case, then the sooner they dealt with him, the better.

" _Right, we're in. Now, let's bring this little freak down,"_ she instructed with a smirk, knowing that her team was more than ready for some action.

Darting ahead, Wynter paused for a second, her ears perking up as the shuffling animal's footsteps echoed throughout the alleyway's narrow confines. She knew from Otto's preliminary scan that the target was a male badger, unarmed and a few years younger than herself. He was also carrying a cheap briefcase filled with unassembled but deadly prototype weapons and potentially lethal encrypted data.

In other words, it was just an average day's work.

"Crazy kids," she muttered disapprovingly, catching sight of him and realizing he couldn't be older then twenty. She almost felt sorry for him.

He should've been out partying, getting into harmless trouble with his friends and... _No, he shouldn't be dating._ She wouldn't wish such a thing on the most despicable of creatures. Even her lowest moments of shoplifting from thrift stores and living in an abandoned nightclub had been a more rewarding experience. One could learn valuable life skills from such hardships, but nothing good would ever come from falling in love. _If she_ _were going to fall,_ Wynter thought cynically, _it would be from the top of an apartment building._ At the very least, she knew it would hurt less.

The faint buzz of a weapon powering up snapped her back into reality, and from the direction of the sound, she knew it had to be Diesel. That crazy rodent enjoyed the dangers of her lifestyle far more than any sane mammal ever should, but Wynter would be hard pressed to find a better Weapons and Demolition expert on the planet, let alone in Zootopia.

 _"Alright, you better get this over with, because I don't think Doe can hold the squirrel back much longer."_ Otto said flatly, his voice crackling slightly through the communicator.

 _"I'm on it,"_ Wynter muttered, ducking out of sight as the badger approached her hiding place, typing obliviously on his phone with one paw as he walked.

Ears pinned back, she jumped from the relative safety of her shadowy perch and landed easily with a soft thump on the dusty ground. The badger stopped dead in his tracks, pulling back the oversized hood of his sweater in surprise and revealing an expression of anger and shock. After taking a moment to size up his competition, the stocky animal's eyes narrowed as he pushed his way forward, wordlessly challenging her to do something about it.

"Hey kid," Wynter said confidently, draping a paw over her weapon, "you know who I am, and I know who you are, so I'm gonna skip the introductions and go right to the clichés. Basically, we can do this the hard way, or we can take the easy way. Your choice."

The badger ignored what she said, continuing to steadily plow forwards. Her words had failed to buy them any extra time, but in this case, she didn't really need it. Up close, it was obvious he wasn't your average specimen. His gait was unnaturally fluid, his eyes just a little too vibrantly blue. Yeah, she was definitely dealing with her own kind this time, and she wasn't exactly thrilled about it either.

Shoving her aside roughly, the larger animal clutched his briefcase tighter and snarled ominously. "Outta my way, glitch. If you can't see, I've got places to go."

 _"Why did I know you'd pick the hard way,"_ she whispered, cursing inwardly.

Unfazed, Wynter brushed herself off and tackled him, pinning him effortlessly against the uneven concrete. He thrashed and kicked violently, nearly throwing her off more than once in his crazed bid for freedom. Years of training had given her an advantage in combat, but brute strength was almost never on her side, and she knew she was going to require backup sooner rather than later.

 _"Yeah, yeah, keep flipping out, whatever. Otto, get the scalpel and the gauze ready, because we're dealing with one of our own here,"_ she ordered, pausing once or twice as his claws collided with her shoulder, tearing away the thin layer of protective cloth in a frenzy of fear and rage.

"Get off me," he growled, baring his teeth and slashing manically at the now-uncovered area with renewed strength. Wynter yelped instinctively, feeling something warm and damp begin to soak through her usually plush fur. The smell was metallic, almost bitter. _Blood._ With claws that unnaturally sharp, there was no denying he was a Changeling just like her. _Great._

Thinking quickly, she rolled to the side, letting him go free. The badger was in such a rush to stand that he nearly toppled over, pausing briefly in an attempt to regain his balance. Wynter's confidence returned, knowing he'd played right into her trap. _Hah, lo_ _oks like he'd be taking the easy way out after all._

With a swift kick to the side of the head, her opponent crumpled to the ground in an unconscious haze, dropping the briefcase soundlessly. Kneeling down, she sped through the necessary protocol and checked for a pulse, which she found easily. He'd have a bit of a headache upon waking up, but nothing worse. So far, everything was going according to plan. She really hoped she hadn't jinxed them by thinking that.

The rest of her team was almost immediately at the scene, something Wynter felt rather grateful for as her adrenaline high started to wear off and the sensation in her shoulder became increasingly unpleasant and difficult to ignore.

"That was some nice clean fighting you did there, Wyn. Classic stuff." Otto commented absentmindedly as he felt along the side of their target's face, eyes lighting up when he found the desired area.

Doe, who was currently looking through the badger's pockets for any form of valuable data, nodded in agreement. "You're alright though, aren't you?"

"Of course I am," Wynter answered simply, preferring to keep any potential signs of dependancy under strict lock and key. _Three cheers for experience and learning things the hard way._

"She's fine, Jane. Always is." The ocelot sounded even more uninterested than usual, his full attention focused on a scalpel currently clutched in his steady paw. Pulling back a clump of salt-and-pepper fur, he made a remarkably tiny cut, severing the wire that had once defined so much of this particular animal's existence.

"There you go," he said quietly to his unmoving patient, "you're free now. Go back to petty crime and graffiti, and keep the cops distracted and off our tails. We all know the last thing BlackIce needs is another setback."

Wynter laughed bitterly, doing her best to ignore the pain. "Got that right. We can barely afford the latest zPhone, let alone state-of-the-art tech."

"Yep, and that means _someone_ needs to go through the family's stolen jewel stash and sell a few things," he said mockingly, squeezing out a few drops of antiseptic ointment and applying it to the badger's wound before wiping off his paws and standing up.

"Yeah, okay, whatever," Wynter replied, flicking her soft white tail as she helped Jane gather any remaining traces of evidence. The kindhearted deer was quick to notice her injury, to which the vixen replied with a somewhat stilted shrug, currently far more interested in the contents of their recently acquired briefcase than her own condition. She'd bandage it herself later, and that would be that, no need for any fuss or pity. _Weakness was her true enemy, after all._

Diesel, who'd been watching the entire scene play out from a strategic location about ten feet off the ground, was the first to notice their target waking up.

"Hey, the dumb guy's twitching! Does that mean I get a round with him?"

Tearing her bright yellow eyes away from their hard-earned prize, Wynter realized the squirrel was right. Good timing, considering they'd already finished up the important stuff and were ready to leave.

"Okay, that's our cue. He won't remember anything, so we need to ditch before we end up giving him something to talk about," the vixen stated, "and no, Diesel, you're not fighting anyone tonight." She added the last part bluntly, hopping over a rather disoriented badger to retrieve her temperamental and weapon-toting friend.

"Alright, we're out," Otto said, swiftly packing up his supplies. Wynter nodded, leading them away from their groggy target and towards the maze of alleys and dead ends, Diesel and Jane arguing loudly behind them over the best type of video game to play on a zPhone.

* * *

 ** _Back with our favorite ZPD officers..._**

Finishing his now-cold coffee, Nick appeared deep in thought, with one paw still resting lazily on the image from earlier as they drove through Zootopia's lively and bustling streets.

Judy kept her eyes on the road, but occasionally glanced at her partner, having thankfully regained her composure a while ago. She felt somewhat bad for laughing at him the way she had earlier, even if what happened _had_ been exceptionally funny. It was clear from his reaction that the fox still had some strong feelings towards their witness, though she wasn't exactly sure what those feelings could be, or how they might potentially affect their still-unsolved case.

"So with the witness being your ex and all, you shouldn't have too much trouble finding her, right?"

Running a paw through his fur, the fox appeared to cheer up slightly as they reached the heart of the city.

"Not exactly. She left Zootopia years ago, and luckily for me I've managed to avoid running into her up until now," he said with a somewhat wry laugh. "I didn't even know she'd come back, which is why I was so surprised when I saw it was her in the picture."

Judy nodded, listening to her friend intently as skyscrapers, billboards and crowds blurred past the cruiser's glossy windows in a dazzling array of shapes and colors.

"I'm guessing you have no idea where to find her at all, then. It doesn't exactly sound like you guys are on address-forwarding terms."

"No," he said quietly, pausing for a moment before his expression brightened, "but I do know a guy who can track her down for us in no time."

The bunny rolled her eyes. _"Of course you do._ Please tell me he isn't another sloth."

"Nope, Carrots, he's a badger." Nick couldn't help but smile, remembering how incredibly frustrated she'd gotten after their encounter with Flash at the DMV.

"Oh and before you ask, because I know you're going to, he's got no relation to Underhill the Joykill or our case."

It was Judy's turn to look amused. She found Nick's odd ability to come up with names for everyone equal parts annoying and endearing, though the Carrots thing could get old in a hurry.

Turning left down a worn-out street at the fox's instruction, she noticed how the sidewalks and storefronts had become ragged and practically deserted.

"So, who is this badger that we're going to be meeting?" Judy asked curiously, swerving to avoid a deep hole in the center of the sun-bleached asphalt road.

"He goes by Mr. X. Real name's Tobias Stripeton, but don't tell him I said that. He works at the nightclub with the giant fake palm trees, you can't miss it."

"Uh-huh," she said sarcastically, "and let me guess, he's a real law-abiding citizen as well."

Nick pretended to look hurt. "Of course! You don't think I'd associate with someone on the wrong side of the law, now do you?"

" _No, never,"_ she said innocently, bringing the car to a stop in front of what had to be the most garish and sloppily decorated building Judy had ever laid eyes on.

Ruined statues and faded, lifeless fake plants could be seen strewn about randomly, the aforementioned palm trees being plastic and in desperate need of a fresh paint job. The building itself leaned precariously to one side, and a part of its roof had been blackened by some form of fire damage.

Judy jumped out of the car and stood gingerly on the dirty and surprisingly hot sidewalk, unable to tear her eyes away from the mess.

"This is it, huh?"

The bunny's somewhat horrified expression seemed to amuse Nick. He lowered his oversized aviators slowly, giving her plenty of time to enjoy the view.

"What, are you not a fan of Mr. X's decorating skills?"

Staring uncomfortably at the decapitated and naked tiger figurine guarding a rusted gateway, she shook her head. "If we're being completely honest, not really."

Nick frowned. "What a shame. I thought you bunnies had good taste when it came to luxury decor."

They continued bantering cheerfully as they approached the building's entrance, Judy trying in vain to avert her innocent eyes from the array of suggestive decorations that lined the club's narrow pathway. It didn't take long for them to reach the door, which was covered in peeling blue paint and slowly falling off its hinges.

"Do we really have to go in there?" Judy asked, stepping over a nasty-looking stain on the cheap cobblestone.

Her partner didn't answer immediately, instead making a grand gesture of opening the door and holding it for her. "Ladies first," he said, smirking.

Inside, the building was no better. It smelled strongly of mildew and cheap alcohol, a combination made even more unpleasant by the heat and lack of airflow. Judy wrinkled her nose in disgust, but Nick appeared unaffected by their surroundings, striding towards the seemingly abandoned desk as though he owned the place. She followed cautiously, making a mental note to shower as soon as she got home.

"It doesn't look like anyone's here," the bunny mused, glancing around at the poorly-decorated and empty room with a morbid sort of curiosity.

Nick shrugged and slammed his paw on the rusted service bell, which almost immediately rewarded them with the sound of papers scattering and awkward footsteps from behind a half-closed door.

"Hold it, hold it, I'm coming!" The voice sounded exasperated, and was quickly followed by something, most likely more papers, hitting the floor and flying everywhere.

The panelled door swung open, revealing an overweight badger in a pinstripe suit, along with a heap of paperwork that had fallen to the ground and now covered the club's cheap carpeting in a blur of stark white. He clambered over the disaster zone somewhat frantically, reaching the front desk a breathless and panting mess. Leaning forward, he shoved aside a few fake-looking documents that covered the scratched surface and sighed loudly.

Then, giving both of his guests the once-over, the older animal adjusted his glasses and nodded with an agreeable smile.

"Well, if it isn't old Nicky and Zootopia's Sweetheart. What can I do for ya?"

* * *

 **Steffi:** _Hey, you finished it! Thanks for reading, internet person :D_

 **Nyxy:** _Thank you indeed. Now, this chapter is probably a bit longer than the following ones will be, but I thoroughly enjoyed writing it, as did Steffi. Hopefully you liked our fanfic, but hey, I know we can't please everyone. A fun fact for you guys: Steffi does almost all the dialogue and characterization, while I'm responsible for most of the editing and writing. Now, before I go, Steffi's got a message for the readers:_

 **Steffi:** _That's right peeps! Want more? Then please fave, follow and review! It makes us update faster, and also gives us a reason to put down that alluring math homework and write instead... oh wait. Heh. But still, kind words are always appreciated :)_

 _ **From both of us at Zero Fox Given, thank you and have a good day/night! We plan to update every 3-10 days, depending on chapter length and life's distractions. Until then, bye!**_


	2. Cold Revelations

**Author's Notes:**

 **Nyxy:** _Thank you to each and every one of our readers, especially those who took time out of their day to fave, follow and review. It makes both of us very happy :)_

 **Steffi:** _Yep! A big ol' thanks to all of you, cuz you're amazing and keep us writing!_

 **Now, we present to you Chapter Two! You'll get to meet our antagonists this time, so yay? Lol anyways, here we go! You'll find review responses and author ramblings at the bottom of the actual fic, as to avoid spoilers or being annoying. See ya down below!**

 **DISCLAIMER: We still own nothing, doh! Let It Go, Please?**

* * *

 _"They don't get it, do they?"_

The softly-spoken words were masked by loud bursts of mechanical humming and static, but the two other animals in the dimly-lit room heard them effortlessly due to a combination of natural abilities and heavily augmented hearing.

"Of course they don't, Ezra. They're not supposed to, and therefore they won't. _What were you expecting?"_ This second voice was eerily calm, and Ezra could sense the other animal's growing disdain, lowering his pointed ears in an instinctive act of submission.

The young coywolf fumbled for an answer that would diffuse their situation, but he was cut off sharply by the room's second inhabitant, Vivian. The elegant mammal caught his eye with a gaze so full of smugness and superiority, that it was obvious even as the screen illuminating their cramped surroundings dimmed and changed images.

"Maybe he thought it would turn out like one of those idiotic movies he loves so much," she said coldly, "you know, where some altruistic moron comes out on top, and a few so-called villains are banished for trying to make something of themselves without the inane pressures of _morality._ " Vivian spat the last word as though it were a curse, then laughed mockingly and flicked a strand of silky red fur away from her piercing eyes.

Ezra whimpered quietly, not daring to so much as flinch while iSANiTY's second-in-command stared him down. Their leader, he might stand up to upon occasion, but _her?_ Never.

Glancing away from the oversized screen, Ezra's other companion watched the twany canine with what appeared to be a lopsided smile. It was fake and almost threatening, something which shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone who knew the animal.

"Take it easy on him, sis. The pup's doing what we ask without any arguments, so if Pig Hero 6 gives him some form of enjoyment, then so be it. As for me," he purred with a switchblade grin, "I prefer reality TV."

He tapped a few buttons, the image onscreen splitting to reveal a handful of separate camera views, all filming something of supposed importance. With another click, the silver-furred mammal enlarged one of the thumbnails and nodded casually, his expression changing to resemble that of a bored kit at school.

Vivian licked her delicate lips in anticipation, the flickering of their only light source casting strange, twisting shadows on her face and giving her a depraved, ravenous appearance.

"This is almost too easy, don't you think?" It was more of a rhetorical question than anything, but the pleasure in her voice sent shivers down the coywolf's spine.

Turning his attention from a now paused image, the grey mammal smirked. "You have a point, Viv. This whole thing has played out so smoothly, it's almost gotten boring and," he stretched, yawning dramatically, "a bit too easy. Law enforcement and the public have been so obsessed with all things NightHowler that we've been able to spread out and keep a low profile without even trying."

"Not to mention the sudden focus on species equality and rooting for the underdog," Vivian interjected, her svelte figure propped against a metal desk as she flicked her silken tail in controlled agitation.

"Exactly. Oppression is selling like carrots at a rabbit convention these days, _and do we ever have a sob story for them,"_ he said with pride, gesturing carelessly to the fearful coywolf.

Ezra gritted his teeth and bit back the beginnings of a snarl, shaking from an unfortunate combination of nerves and sorrow. Not only were they using him for something beyond his control, but iSANiTY's demented leaders bragged about it every chance they got. _Poor little hybrid, you don't belong anywhere. Not here, not there. If only you were normal like us. Like the other Changelings. Like the Naturals. Anything's got to be better than being a literal mixup, right?_

Snickering, Vivian drummed her glossy, cherry red claws on something metallic, the sound reverberating oddly throughout the confines of their secret chamber.

"Indeed. They'll buy into this pathetic mutt, listen to his words out of pitiful kindness, and feel sorry enough for him that riots will break out if anyone tries to punish our little pup. He'll speak iSANiTY's words, and in return, we'll spread his. Right, Ezra?"

The coywolf nodded tensely, afraid that he would howl something regrettable if he dared open his mouth to respond at all.

Vivian either didn't notice or didn't care about his lack of a verbal reply, instead continuing her tirade. "And speaking of rabbits, it's only fair that the one who started it all is now mixed up in our very tangled web. BlackIce has been so busy chasing after decoys that I doubt they'll see this coming. Should be interesting, at the very least."

Her brother nodded, hitting another button and viewing the moving pictures with poorly-disguised glee.

"I think we all know it, sis. The whole thing is funny, really. BlackIce and the ZPD should be working together on the same team, considering they both share equally idiotic beliefs about protecting the weak and upholding justice." He scoffed at the notion, switching screens again before returning to his commentary.

"I wouldn't underestimate either of them, though. Hopps and the rest of the ZPD are clever and have the upper paw with offense, but we all know Wynter and her band of misfits can play a mean defense if they have to. Not that it should matter, though. Whoever wins the dance will still lose to iSANiTY in the end."

Ezra was only half listening at this point, having grown tired of the siblings' constant gloating over their horrific and cruel schemes. Frustrated and feeling particularly bold, the canine decided to share his opinion on their supposedly brilliant plans, even if it was a carefully toned-down version.

"I see what you're saying, but can you really be sure that's how every little detail will play out? What if BlackIce and the ZPD realize their common enemy and form an alliance?" The question was designed to throw a wrench into their conversation, and if he were judging on expressions alone, it had worked quite well.

"That'll never happen," Vivian snapped bitterly, "but if it somehow does, we've still got an advantage over the officers they assigned this case to. Wynter and that other fox Wilde have quite the history, and I don't think it'd be much of a exaggeration to say neither of them have completely gotten over it. If nothing else, those two morons being at each other's throats constantly should distract Hopps and the rest of BlackIce long enough for us to enact iSANiTY Phase Two."

Lazily applauding her insight, Vivian's brother zoomed in on a somewhat grainy video and watched intently, the speakers crackling occasionally from poor sound quality.

"Mm-hm, you've got it there. Wynter and company can't seem to resist going for our decoy Changelings, and the ZPD will keep chasing after BlackIce thinking they're the real criminals. Even if they do eventually manage to figure it out, the damage will be done and those two foxes won't be able to hold off attacking each other and getting in the way of saving their beloved Zootopia. A good plan, if I do say so myself."

His words were casually self-assured, as though he were discussing some bet he'd placed on a favorite sports team as opposed to top-secret plans for destroying an entire city.

"It sure is, Darkin," Vivian said sweetly, "in fact, you could say it's pretty close to idiot proof."

Ezra was aware of the way her frigid grey eyes lingered on him after the statement, and he couldn't help but sigh quietly and lower his head in apathetic defeat. She'd always hated the hybrid canine for some non-apparent reason, and he'd learned to just ignore it and press on as best he could. Darkin had promised the end would justify the means, and with nothing else left to believe in, the coywolf was determined to prove his leader right.

* * *

 _ **Back at the beautiful nightclub...**_

Judy watched as Mr. X studied her and her partner through his clouded glasses, obviously alarmed by the fact two police officers had made an appearance in his establishment without so much as a warning. He seemed far from threatening however, and she figured the experience could easily be kept brief and pleasant.

Smiling brightly, she handed him the neatly-folded picture of their witness.

"We were hoping you could help us identify this mammal," she said, still trying to ignore the less-than-ideal surroundings.

Taking the image from her paw, he studied it for a moment, holding the glossy paper close to his face and slowly tracing the vixen's outline before returning it to Judy and giving the fox standing beside her a knowing smile.

"Of course I know who that is," he laughed, pressing a paw to his broad chest, "that's Nicky's old sweetheart, Lexi Wynter. They used to come 'round here on weekends back in the day, insulting every single cover band I hired and ripping off drunken customers. Got quite a few complaints, too, but I never did kick either of you out."

Nick shifted awkwardly when the badger's eyes met his and and tried to change the subject with a snarky one-liner. Mr. X knew the drill quite well and didn't budge, while Judy giggled under her breath at how obviously flustered his words had left the fox. Her friend rarely discussed his past with anyone, but from the sounds of it, he'd been just as lovably annoying as he was now, if not a little more troublesome.

"Last time I saw Lexi was the night after you two broke up for the final time, a few days before she moved to Feralhights," the animal continued, "if I recall correctly, she kicked over one of my antique red fox statues, stole an entire container of ice cream and passed out in a pool of her own tears on the dance floor. I haven't seen that vixen since, but she's booked in for our live music event this Friday, and she left a forwarding address. Gimme a second to find that for ya."

Bending down carefully, Mr. X pawed through some of his many poorly-organized documents, the noise of rustling and increasingly frustrated sighs filling the room as he searched for what felt like an eternity.

"Sounds like Special Snowflake went off the deep end after I left," Nick commented dryly, yet his smirk and sharp words failed to disguise a flicker of green-eyed guilt and regret.

 _"Special Snowflake?_ Is that what you called her?" Judy asked incredulously, suddenly thankful she'd ended up with nicknames as benign and unremarkable as Carrots and Whiskers.

"Mm-hm," he said slyly, "never thought she'd live up to it, though. Guess Snowy was determined to prove me wrong as usual."

Judy, as unprofessional as it might be, had a hard time hiding her amusement as she visualized their witness rampaging through the nightclub, screaming at statues and overindulging on sugary treats. It reminded her of the three or so break-ups she'd experienced in her teen years, back when every bit of drama seemed like the end of the world.

If she'd been there that night, however, Judy knew she would've offered the heartbroken mammal a hug, some kind words and a shoulder to cry on. She hoped Lexi had a friend of some sort waiting for her when the club closed, but intuition told her the vixen had spent much of her time alone.

"Hey, don't be too harsh on her. I'm sure she regrets it now," Judy giggled, watching yet another fistful of paper go flying across the room as Mr. X's efforts grew more desperate.

Nick was still leaning on the desk, flipping though pictures on his phone with a bored expression as they waited for their still-undiscovered document to be found.

"And here we have Carrots, sticking up for someone who can't defend themselves yet again. As much as it pains me to say this though, _you're right,"_ he said in a mock-wounded tone, "I'm pretty sure she regrets everything."

Judy shook her head in amusement, somewhat annoyed by her partner's apparent lack of interest. "Can't really blame her for that."

Before the fox had a chance to respond, Mr. X popped up with a torn piece of paper gripped tightly in his large paw. Fixing his uneven glasses, the badger read it off quickly to his newfound companions, Judy listening impatiently and tapping the carrot pen in her paw as he spoke.

"17 SnowDrift Road. That's on the outskirts of TundraTown, mostly low budget and industrial. Whatever she's up to now, Wynter's not making a lot of cash. Heard she'd gone legit years ago, but if the cops are after her, I guess not. Shame, really," he droned wearily, looking over the mess of paperwork he'd have to clean up later.

Scribbling down the information with impressive speed, the bunny nodded.

"I know that area pretty well, so we shouldn't have too much trouble finding it. Ms. Wynter is a potential witness in one of our cases, but she's not up to anything illegal as far as I can tell."

 _"Now that is surprising,"_ Nick mumbled, earning a dirty look from his large-eared partner.

Putting away her pen, Judy smiled and shook paws with the badger, who's original expression of hidden concern had been replaced by a genuine, kind-hearted grin.

"Thank you for your help, Mr. X."

"Any time, sweet thing," he said pleasantly, stacking a few of the papers that had been misplaced during his earlier search.

As the two uniformed animals prepared to leave, Nick gave the older mammal a somewhat condescending salute before striding towards the door, a gesture which the badger completely ignored, having witnessed similar tactics more times than he'd care to admit. Realizing they were on their way out, however, Mr. X dropped the sizeable heap of files, which landed with a loud thump on his desk.

"Oh, before you go, I thought I'd invite ya to Friday's big event. Free admission, for old time's sake, and I promise there'll be nothing illegal going on. Up to you of course," he added with a shrug, before returning his attention to the documents.

Judy's ears perked up, and she broke into a wide grin. As unpleasant as the club's environment was, the idea of spending a carefree night out with her best friend sounded wonderful. She'd been so caught up in her work recently that any desires for personal enjoyment had been pushed aside and nearly forgotten. Whatever way the bunny looked at it, she'd earned a break fair and square.

"We'd love that!" Judy exclaimed brightly, tugging Nick towards the building's exit before he could say anything negative about her idea.

Once they were outside in the glaring sunlight, however, the complaints began.

"What was up with that one, Whiskers? I though you couldn't stand Mr. X's little establishment." Opening the now-hot metal door, he slid into the parked cruiser and fiddled with a dial on the air conditioner.

She laughed. "I can't, but that's not the point. We both need a break, and you know I wanna try everything Zootopia's got to offer at least once. This sounds like it could be a lot of fun, too. There'll be music, dancing, and maybe we'll even run into your _Special Snowflake_ if we're lucky," she chirped, winking playfully at the fox.

Nick's half-lidded eyes widened behind his sunglasses.

"I wouldn't consider that lucky, at least not for me," he added, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"Oh come on, Nick. She's not actually gonna hurt you," Judy said, rolling her eyes at the fox's ridiculous idea as she climbed into her seat, "in fact, from the sounds of it, you probably hurt her."

"And you care about a total stranger because?" _Defensive. She was definitely on to something here._

 _"Girl code,"_ she answered honestly, shutting her door as she turned the key and started the car.

It was the fox's turn to roll his eyes. _"Girl code?"_

"Yeah. Us girls stick together during bad times, especially if they were caused by a guy. So if you break up with your girlfriend, expect us to be on her side unless she did something really wrong."

Nick did not appear to be amused by this idea. "That's gotta be one of the dumbest things I've heard," he said, leaning back in his seat and crossing his legs lazily.

Judy snickered. "Of course you say it's dumb, all guys do! I think they're just jealous of how we stick together, _even during a hustle."_

"Hey!"

"What? It's true," the bunny said innocently, driving away from the dusty streets and vibrant décor of Sahara Square before rejoining the traffic rush as she headed for TundraTown's blanket of glittering, uniform white.

Once they reached a stoplight, she popped on her favorite playlist, filing the cruiser with an assortment of pop melodies, many of which were by Gazelle. Tapping and swiping past a few that didn't fit her current mood, she settled on a favorite before securing the MP3 player safely to her door and well out of reach of any meddling fox paws.

Covering his fluffy ears as though he were in agony, the fox groaned. "Are you trying to make me go deaf, Carrots?" A glimmer of amusement sparkled in his eyes, telling Judy that it was all a joke. _Well, mostly a joke._ They'd never agree on what constituted real music, but as it was her turn, there wasn't really much he could do about it.

Judy sang and bopped along happily to Gazelle's list of hits, the bunny's voice being notably clear and pleasant. They hadn't yet reached TundraTown, but she could already see how the terrain was beginning to change as the icy area got closer. Sahara Square's dry and disorienting heat had been replaced by cooler temperatures, with the breeze feeling almost cold as it streamed in through her open window.

Slowing down for a curve, she followed the wide but empty road past a few plain-looking buildings and small factories, many of which appeared to be abandoned. This was definitely the right area, and it wasn't known for its wholesome reputation.

"SnowDrift, coming up on your right," Nick pointed out, and as she got closer, she found he'd been right as usual with the directions. Judy had learned most of Zootopia's layout rather easily over the last year, but having a native still came in handy sometimes, especially one so familiar with the less-than-perfect aspects and areas of their city.

Unlike the road they'd been on earlier, this one hadn't been plowed recently and was covered by the occasional patch of slush. As they weren't truly in TundraTown, its pristine snow and famous winter-themed decorations were nowhere to be seen. Instead, the area came across as though it were trapped forever in the dreariest part of late fall.

Judy shivered as they passed a particularly ominous-looking factory, not daring to read the scrawls of unpleasant, discolored graffiti that covered its looming form. Thankfully, her witness's address was located in a more attractive building, though it still looked in desperate need of repairs.

"That must be the place," she said, pulling up near what seemed to be a low-budget storefront. It was two stories tall, the top having been converted into apartments. Aside from a few faded curtains, the upstairs portion of the building seemed unused. A sign was plastered over one of the dusty downstairs windows, though it was handmade and somewhat sunbleached.

 _"Wynter's self-defense and combat courses,"_ Nick read out loud, a note of concern in his voice, _"we teach you to fight back._ Uh, Carrots, I think we've found our girl." The fox swallowed uneasily, removing his sunglasses. "And you know, I really don't think she wants to see me."

Judy nodded as she began to exit the parked car, stepping over a large puddle of melted snow and mud.

"Why would that be?" She asked curiously, her question only half sarcastic in tone.

Nick slammed the cruiser's door shut and glanced around with lowered ears, plucking at the indigo fabric of his uniform in obvious discomfort.

"I may have ditched her at our big makeshift prom," he began slowly, pausing before Judy urged him to continue, "in the pouring rain, and..." He frowned as he stepped out of the car, fluffy tail dragging through a small pool of dirty water.

"And?" Judy asked quietly, no longer sure she wanted to hear the answer.

"Left her in a soaking wet dress without a car or any way of getting home. I called her the next day of course, but she never answered." He sighed and smiled sheepishly, green eyes going wide with unspoken apology.

Judy froze, a look of horror plastered over her usually optimistic features. _This was not good, not good at all. Usually her and her partner had no trouble getting witnesses to open up and talk to them, but something like that would not be forgotten so easily. She'd have to work extra hard to earn back Wynter's trust, and hoped Nick wouldn't screw it up by doing something rude and insensitive._

"Sweet cheese 'n crackers, Nick! No wonder you were trying to avoid her, you dumb fox," the bunny mock-shouted, shaking her head and facepawing dramatically.

"Now Carrots, you know I feel terrible about the whole thing. _Really, I do,"_ he said slyly, pressing a paw over his heart in a show of fake pain. More sarcasm, but Judy saw right through it. Her friend wasn't happy about what had happened that night, no matter how well he disguised it.

Locking the cruiser, she started off towards their rather worn-down destination, hopping effortlessly over the many patches of ice and slush covering her path. What had first seemed like a considerable distance went by all too quickly for the two animals, though she was sure it was due to completely different reasons.

Judy was most definitely not afraid of their witness, though she found herself dreading the inevitable awkwardness that was sure to arise between Ms. Wynter and her partner. She hated watching others fight, and hoped the foxes could at least manage to stay civil towards each other until the interview was completed. Somehow though, she feared it would devolve rather quickly into an insult-slinging mess.

Nick, however, was a bit more difficult to read. He was certainly feeling a great deal of _something_ , but the bunny still couldn't put her paw on exactly what that something could be. She would've originally guessed dread or shame, but from the way he confidently swished his brush-like tail with each step, whatever it was didn't seem completely negative. _Hmm, she'd have to think about it later. It wasn't like her to struggle with deciphering emotions, and she had always been curious about such things anyway._

Now that they were closer to the building however, it didn't seem quite as dreary or unused. A set of icicle-like wind chimes hung from the small balcony, glittering like multicolored diamonds every time sunlight struck a crystal. The red bricks were well-maintained, and Judy caught sight of a sleek and sporty-looking black motorbike parked in the driveway. _Maybe their witness wasn't doing too badly after all._

"Well, here goes nothing," she said in an upbeat voice, knocking on the surprisingly new-looking metal door and awaiting a response from the arctic vixen within.

* * *

 **Steffi:** _Hey, I told you we'd be back! Did ya miss us?_

 **Nyxy:** _Okay, Steffi, enough goofing off. We've got reviews to answer now, after all._

 **Steffi:** _Yes, REVIEWS!_

 ** _REPLIES:_**

 **Guest:** Thanks so much! We both like Sci-Fi, though it's mostly Nyxy's thing and she's enjoyed developing all the technology and gadgets for this fic. We're so glad you love it :D

 **Snoring Dragon Productions:** Thank you, and we're so happy you liked the details and find our fanfic unique since that was one of our biggest goals :3 We're glad you like Wynter and her thoughts as well, and we promise you won't be disappointed by her and Nick's rather eventful reunion in the next chapter! Thanks again :D

 **Daydreamer B. A:** Thank you! It's awesome you like the beginning and our characters, we worked very hard to make them believable and someone our readers can care about. You're right there as well, but no spoilers :3 Hopefully this chapter reveals some interesting plot twists, and we seriously appreciate being called creative!

 **Steffi:** _Well, now that's done! Not much noteworthy has happened in my life since the last update, and my brother's blasting his music so loud I can barely think, ugh. If this note makes no sense, blame him!_

 **Nyxy:** _That's gotta suck, Steff! As for the chapter in itself, I'm pretty proud of it. Steffi did the entire plot here, but much of the non-dialogue writing is my own. What I will say without spoiling anything is that you're gonna see a lot more of iSANiTY and their schemes in the future, though I can't say when. Phase Two of their master plot will be revealed soon, and man, it's pretty terrifying. On a lighter note, you also got a look at some backstory, which hopefully Steffi did not screw up epically. What will our two favorite officers find on the other side of that door? Well, I think we know, but hey... There'll be plenty of sarcastic, snarky and even flirty banter in the next chapter, some of which has already been written. Wynter's still a bit angry over the whole thing, and she has no idea the reason Nick left in such a hurry had nothing to do with her or the party... You'll find out what really happened on that night later on, so stick with us!_

 **Steffi:** _Yeah, cuz the best is still yet to come! We've had a ton of fun with this fanfiction already, and I can't wait to update again :D_

 **Until then, bye for now from both of us at Zero Fox Given! Expect an update within 3-10 days as usual :3 Reviews, faves and follows are always appreciated, but I don't think we really have to say that XD**


	3. Breaking the Ice

**Author's Notes:**

 **Steffi:** _We're back with a (slightly shorter) but brand new chapter, and we apologize for the delay! Almost all of this was written by me as well. Why? Read the notes at the bottom..._

 **Nyxy:** _She's right, though a fair amount of the descriptions and details are my work. Thank Steffi if you like the content style of this chapter more, and thank me if you like the next one, as the theme is mostly my own._

 **Steffi:** _So anyway, I hope you enjoy this :) Review replies and our actual AN will be at the end as usual._

 **DISCLAIMER: What do we own? Oh yeah, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! D'oh!**

* * *

"Looking good, Jane. Remember what I said, though. Light on the hooves, heavy on the hits. You've got an advantage here, so use it."

Lexi Wynter stood beside the makeshift sparring ring with crossed arms, carefully watching as the deer and ocelot battled it out in a staged paw-to-paw fight. After agreeing on a mutual break, Jane leaned against a wall, looking fatigued but altogether pleased with her abilities.

"I know, Lexi. It's just harder for me when I have to fight a friend."

The arctic fox smiled.

"Of course it is, Doe. Hating someone makes punching 'em out a lot more fun, lemme tell you. Still, sparring has its place in combat for a reason. We've gotta keep those skills sharp if we want BlackIce to stay fatality-free this year."

Nodding sadly at the last part of her friend's statement, the deer left to refill her bright pink water bottle. Lexi saw this as the perfect opportunity to continue her lecture with Otto, who despite his best efforts, had never been particularly great with paw-to-paw.

"Sinpurr, you're improving by leaps and bounds. I'm very proud of how far you've come. Mind the tail, though. There's nothing more painful than a tail grab, and you know iSANiTY's never been above using that one. Otherwise, I have no complaints."

The ocelot appeared slightly dazed, but broke his usually emotionless persona and shared an enthusiastic high-five with his trainer.

"Thanks, Wyn. I'm taking the day off now, so see ya 'round." Turning quickly, the slender feline practically leaped away. His efforts, however, were in vain.

"Nice try, but I don't think so. Next up is ranged though, so you shouldn't be too bad off." The vixen flicked her tail, shoving one paw in the pocket of her baggy camouflage pants as she waited for Diesel to return with the weaponry she'd 'borrowed' for a supposedly 'important' test.

 _"Until then, might as well throw a few punches myself,"_ Wynter mumbled, leaving the ocelot and taking a swing at the beat-up punching bag she'd recently salvaged from a local gym.

As expected, she did fairly well by her own standards. The technique was good, though she currently lacked passion and instead treated her practice session as somewhat of a chore. It's not that the arctic fox didn't enjoy honing her skills, she just wasn't in the mood to clobber random objects. _Unbeknownst to her however, that was about to change._

Hearing a knock at the door, Lexi sighed and shook her head.

"And there's Jai," she muttered darkly, "late as usual. Crazy bat probably forgot we existed for the third time this month."

Walking briskly to her desk, she turned on the sleek intercom system with a tap and awaited her customer's most recent excuse.

 _"Wynter here. You're almost two hours late again, and don't even think of asking for a refund this time."_

 _No answer._ For a second, there was only the crackle of static. Glancing over her shoulder as she waited for a reply, Lexi couldn't help but cringe as Diesel took a flying leap at the punching bag and managed to knock it off its stand, creating an incredibly loud thump that resonated throughout the entire building. She was pretty sure she'd heard quieter explosions.

"Um, is everything alright in there?" An unfamiliar female voice asked, causing the vixen's ears to perk up in confusion. _New customers?_ She really hoped Diesel's little accident hadn't scared them off, because BlackIce seriously needed the money.

"Yeah, someone just got a bit too enthusiastic with the equipment. _Who is this?"_ She asked suspiciously, typing in the password to their camera system with one paw as she craned her neck trying to get a glimpse out the window.

The voice that responded was quite different from the one she'd just heard, and strangely familiar.

"ZPD, open up."

 _Oh no. If this was what she thought it was, then they were screwed. Big time. Bye-bye BlackIce._

Reeling from panic and shock, the wide-eyed vixen couldn't help but stutter a bit as she waved frantically to alert the others. Otto and Jane, to their benefit, were quick to hide the weaponry and dispose of anything suspicious. Diesel, on the other paw, had developed a personal vendetta against the fallen punching bag and was intent on destroying it as slowly and painfully as possible.

 _"Wait, what?"_ Wynter managed to gasp, having since abandoned her attempt at accessing the surveillance cameras.

Slowing down his words as though she were a newborn kit unable to comprehend even simple commands, the mammal replied again.

 _"I said, ZPD, open up."_

There was no way around it. She'd definitely heard that obnoxious, mocking voice before. It had usually been paired with a sly smirk and... nah, couldn't be _him._ Maybe someone she'd met during one of her low-paying cover sessions at a local bar. Yeah, that had to be it.

Still, not cool. If they got arrested, then iSANiTY had already won. iSANiTY achieving victory meant thousands, if not millions of animals were going to suffer needlessly just because they hadn't been turned into unnatural freaks like herself.

 _Great._

* * *

Standing outside the door, Judy glared at her partner. They'd only been talking to Ms. Wynter for a minute, and already he'd started with the snark. This was going to end badly, and it wasn't for her lack of trying.

 _"Alright, just gimme a second to get the door. Come to the front desk and- Diesel! Don't bite that! You have no idea where it's been!"_

After a few seconds the door opened automatically, obviously being controlled by a high-tech system located somewhere within the building. Judy found this surprising, as the property didn't seem to warrant such luxuries.

Shrugging, she stepped inside, unsure of exactly _what_ she was about to encounter.

The entrance revealed a small, white hallway which was mostly empty. A few pictures were displayed haphazardly on the wall, including one of their witness holding up a large silver trophy in what appeared to be a crowded fighting ring. Wynter was grinning proudly, the camera's flash forever reflected in her vibrant yellow eyes as she posed with her prize.

"Looks like she's pretty good at what she does," Judy commented, passing a few similar pictures of different animals before they eventually reached the main area and aforementioned desk.

 _"Uh-huh,"_ Nick said, seemingly unimpressed by their witness's achievements.

A heavy metal door leading to the workout area had been propped open to reveal an array of activities within, and the bunny could hear quite a few sounds and phrases, some more colorful than others. As promised, their witness was waiting behind the front desk. The vixen looked somewhat impatient, which Judy found understandable considering she'd been in the middle of teaching a class.

Approaching with a smile, Judy was immediately struck by how unnaturally bright the mammal's fur and eyes were. She almost appeared to have a touch of bioluminescence, though logic told her that such a thing was impossible. _Foxes did not glow in the dark, plain and simple._ It was probably just an illusion, or even costume contacts. The animal's sharp features and slanted eyes would've likely been considered attractive for her species, yet there was something off about her that Judy couldn't quite put a paw on.

Introducing herself cheerfully, she watched as the vixen's seemingly cool demeanour melted into pure enthusiasm upon realizing the officer's identity.

"Oh wow, you're Judy Hopps," she squealed, eyes widening like a kit who'd just met her idol.

"That's me," Judy answered truthfully with a slight giggle, feeling somewhat bad for having judged the fox on her rather odd appearance. Like Mr. X, she seemed harmless and more than willing to help.

Biting her lip nervously, the arctic fox leaned forward and shook paws with Judy, being careful not to accidentally scratch the smaller animal with her notably sharp claws.

"Hah, sorry about that," the vixen apologized, "I tend to overreact sometimes, especially around animals I look up to, and you're like the kithood idol I never had. I mean, you managed to crack the NightHowler case and save Zootopia _all on your own._ That's pretty amazing," she babbled happily, though Judy couldn't help but notice the subtle barb and icy glance directed towards her partner.

Taking a deep breath, Wynter adjusted her tight-fitting black crop top and sighed loudly. "Alright, now that I've got that out of the way, you can arrest me," she joked, laying her paws on the desk's cool surface.

"I'm not here to arrest you," the bunny reassured, "me and my partner just want to ask you a few questions about an assault you may have witnessed while in Sahara Square this past Monday."

She nodded thoughtfully, but didn't get a chance to reply.

"So tell me, _Frostbite,_ what an arctic fox like you was doing in the middle of Sahara Square during a heat wave," Nick interrupted, gazing at the vixen with half-lidded eyes and a sly, self-assured smirk.

Almost immediately, Wynter's friendly and welcoming attitude vanished. Ears pinned back in a display of obvious distaste, she glared coldly at the fox who was currently leaning on her desk. _If a stare could kill, Judy thought, she'd be calling a 10-55 right about now._

 _"Nice cosplay, Wilde,"_ she snapped, _"almost looks like the real thing._ Too bad we both know you'll never succeed at anything more difficult than ripping off naïve kits who don't have enough life experience to know better. Now, I'll answer any questions Officer Hopps may ask me because she's a respectable part of Zootopia's law enforcement team" the vixen said, gesturing to Judy, "but I don't take orders from con artists, and especially not from _you."_

Judy couldn't help tapping her foot in frustration at how the events were unfolding. As expected, the foxes had gone right for the insults. _Predictable, if nothing else._ Nick appeared to be quite enjoying their little spat, while Ms. Wynter was growing angrier, and yes, _colder,_ by the second.

"That hurts, Special Snowflake," he said sarcastically, once again pressing a paw over his heart, "I thought you loved me."

Wynter laughed bitterly. "The only thing I love about you is when you shut up."

Nick was now practically draped over the desk, and Judy noticed how instead of pulling away, Wynter only inched closer to her supposed enemy. One of the many advantages of being an emotional bunny was picking up cues others might miss, and there was obviously a lot more than simple hatred between the two ex-lovers.

"That's not what you told me, Snowflake. You used to say over and over how beautiful my sparkling emerald eyes were, and how much you loved resting your head on my shoulder whenever we went out for a nighttime stroll. _I could go on, but I think you've got the point."_ He smiled knowingly and raised one eyebrow, watching in pure amusement as the vixen clenched her fists and practically shook with rage.

"You have no idea how much I want to hurt you right now," she sputtered rather pathetically, tail puffed from sheer annoyance.

 _"Ah-ah-ah Frostbite, assaulting an officer is a major crime,"_ he said in a sing-song voice, and Judy herself felt a growing desire to slap the fox. What had started off as a promising interview was quickly morphing into a complete disaster. If they weren't currently trying to crack a difficult case, she might have let it slide, but the amnesia incidents were no closer to being solved than they had been yesterday, and that was beyond frustrating for the hardworking bunny.

Still, she found their exchange almost fascinating, in the same vein as a roadside accident. It was horrible and messy, yet she couldn't help staring in morbid curiousity.

"Which is the only reason I haven't put a dent in your pretty face," Wynter replied sharply, having regained a bit of her prior composure and honeyed tone.

"Well, at least she admits I've still got my looks," Nick said, tilting his head and glancing at Judy smugly. The bunny cop was ready to scream out of pure annoyance, because much like the time they'd spent stuck at the DMV, her partner was more interested in causing trouble than gathering information and acted oblivious to her concerns.

"Actually Wilde, I don't find you attractive at all," the vixen said, blushing faintly under her plush coat, "and even if I did, it doesn't matter now. We never would've worked out anyway."

Running a paw through his fur slowly, the fox grinned at their frustrated witness. "Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart."

"Don't need to. _Besides, I can never be what you want,"_ she whispered sweetly, brushing a paw along the side of Nick's arm and returning his signature condescending gaze with one of her own.

"Now I wouldn't say that, Special Snowflake," he said with a confident swish of his tail, still calmly propped against Wynter's desk.

At that point, Judy had had enough. If the foxes wanted to insult and flirt with each other for hours on end, they could do it after the interview was over and Nick was off work for the day. She _could_ have used logic and authority to break them apart, but that was just too simple. _After all, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em..._

Clearing her throat to get their attention, the bunny put on her brightest smile and most blindingly innocent tone.

"I'd love to tell you guys to get a room already, but since we've got an interview to do and _someone_ doesn't finish his shift for a few more hours, I unfortunately can't. You'll have to continue this little rendezvous later, alright?"

The pair's venture in supposed indifference was cut short, almost immediately being replaced by a shared expression of dumbfounded horror and embarrassment. Judy thought the scene was quite hilarious, and almost wished she'd had her phone's camera turned on. _Foxes were always so ridiculously clueless when dealing with emotions, it was almost painful to watch._

"Since that's settled," Judy continued happily, "we might as well get back to the interview."

Retrieving her pen and discreetly hitting _Record_ , the bunny jotted down a few messy and simplistic notes on her clipboard.

"You still haven't answered my question, Frostbite," Nick cut in, _"not that I mind the distraction."_

Rolling her eyes, Judy made a point of interrupting his not-so-secret attempt to drag out their conversation further.

"Ms. Wynter, do you recall witnessing anything suspicious or unusual while you were visiting Sahara Square on Monday?"

The arctic fox shook her head, carefully averting Nick's gaze. "No, but I wasn't there for long. One of the local summer camps had a demonstration on wilderness survival and self defense, and they hired me and some others to teach the kids a few basics. It only ran for an hour, and I took a different route home. I'll give you Penny's number if you want proof, though. She runs the camp, and no, I have no idea why she picked the hottest part of the city to hold such a thing."

Judy nodded, scribbling a few short paragraphs at an impressive speed. So far, the vixen was likely to be innocent. She'd follow up with this Penny character later, but it seemed unreasonable to think Wynter was related to the incidents, though she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something distinctly unnatural about her.

The bunny asked a few more questions, their interview going by without further incident. Judy actually found the arctic mammal to be quite entertaining and despite a detached professional setting, the two hit it off, much to her partner's annoyance.

Pausing her pen's recording and collecting the notes, she was about to leave when she remembered Mr. X's claim and decided after a moment to follow up on it.

"Oh, before we go, are you going to be at the Tropicool this Friday?"

Wynter looked somewhat surprised by the question.

"Not sure how you got that info, but yeah. Haven't been there in forever," she said plainly, returning her attention to Nick with narrowed eyes, _"and you've been talking to Stripeton again, haven't you?"_

Noticing the tension, Judy was quick to prevent another pointless argument. "We did. He seems like a nice guy, but his design skills need some work."

The vixen laughed, clearly finding her statement to be true. _Another save by one very clever bunny._

"You're right there. He's not bad really, pretty trustworthy all things considered," Wynter snickered, but her expression quickly turned dark. "He didn't tell you any of his crazy _'true stories'_ though, did he?"

Judy wasn't sure, but she figured the arctic fox meant stories about herself, which the eccentric badger had been more than happy to share. She knew Wynter wouldn't be thrilled to hear it, but decided on the truth as she hated lying and believed the vixen deserved to know what had been said about her.

Smiling apologetically, the bunny fidgeted a bit.

"Well, he kind of did tell a few about you and-"

 _"Your wonderful music skills,"_ Nick said in a slightly nervous tone, cutting off Judy before she could finish describing what had actually happened.

The vixen scoffed and rolled her eyes. _"Right._ I've played exactly two covers there in the last five years, neither of which were anything special. I know what he said, and I hope you're aware it's not true, and that he loves to exaggerate." Her eyes reflected a hint of shame, and Judy wondered how much of the badger's vivid tale had been true.

As if the situation wasn't awkward enough, Nick chose that moment to burst out laughing, earning matching glares from the rabbit and arctic fox. That, unfortunately, only made him laugh harder.

"You promised that no matter how bad things got, you'd never sink to the level of those washed-up wannabes," he choked out, still finding her plight hilarious, "guess you owe me your firstborn kit, but since you don't have one of those, I'll take a fifty."

Judy shook her head, unamused and somewhat embarrassed by her partner's antics. Wynter, however, seemed to have something else in mind.

"Actually, I _do_ have one," she said sweetly, batting her eyelashes, _"and I forgot to say it, but I'm married too."_

The bunny immediately noticed how she slipped her left paw inside a pocket, obviously trying to conceal the lack of a ring. With her mischievous expression, she could tell the vixen was lying and had made no real effort to disguise this fact.

Judging by Nick's millisecond-long blank stare though, he'd almost bought it.

"Kidding," she practically yelled, placing a paw on her hip, "but honestly Wilde, not everyone has a fairytale ending with a successful career and amazing best friend. Some mammals have _real_ problems," she said sarcastically, flicking her tail in an unspoken challenge.

"Alright, we better leave before Clawhauser starts freaking out and spilling the doughnuts again," Judy stated helpfully, pushing Nick away from his equally cynical ex-love before he got a chance to say anything else.

Wynter nodded, though her attention was now focused on the not-so-organized chaos of her students, one of whom was repeatedly hitting the floor with what appeared to be a fake sword.

"Guess I'll see you at Tropicool this Friday, _Judy,"_ she said in a somewhat forced voice, refusing to make eye contact with the red fox currently looking her up and down from the safety of a hallway corner.

"Sure thing," the bunny cop replied cheerfully, leaving with her fluffy-tailed partner in tow.

Once they had exited the building and were safely out of hearing range, Nick stared at her expectantly, his face unreadable. _"Well, what'd you think?"_

"About what?" Judy asked, shrugging.

Nick sighed, being a bit more cautious about avoiding pools of melting snow the second time around.

"About Special Snowflake back there," he said, sounding almost bored.

Jumping over a puddle of slush, the rabbit playfully pretended not to know what he was asking about.

"You mean if she's responsible for the amnesia cases? It doesn't seem all that probable to me."

The fox shook his head with a hint of frustration, ears tilted back.

"No, not about that. What do you think of her in general?"

Judy giggled, watching their reflections distort as she knocked a chunk of ice into the half-frozen water under the cruiser.

"From what I've seen, she's pretty cool," the bunny stated simply, waiting for a reaction. This entire thing was so... _Interesting._

"And?" Nick urged, effortlessly sliding on his aviators before opening the door.

"Not exactly the psycho ex-girlfriend you made her out to be. I'm sure you can win her back, but you'll have to sincerely apologize first. Flowers and a date at one of those expensive restaurants you love to complain about wouldn't hurt, either," the bunny said nonchalantly, pretending she was studying the car's steering wheel to hide her glee. _This was just too fun!_

Tugging at his collar awkwardly, the usually smooth fox glared from behind his tinted glasses. "That's not what I'm talking about," he said defensively.

Judy could no longer disguise her amusement. "Take it or leave it, then. If you don't want help deciphering, suit yourself."

"Deciphering what?" Nick asked, sounding a bit confused.

 _"Girl code,"_ the bunny said with a wink, hitting play as the cruiser's radio came alive with her favorite songs once again.

* * *

 ** _REPLIES:_**

 **The Anonymouse:** Oh wow, thank you! That's a huge honor, and we hope this chapter doesn't let you down. You're TOTALLY not annoying us, gosh! We LOVE getting such sweet, encouraging reviews :D It's cool you love our writing so much and think the villains are scary. Romance is more Steffi's thing, but there will be more of it as the story progresses. Again, thank you!

 **Dirtkid123:** It's awesome to see such enthusiasm :D You're so totally right there, and the true reason will be revealed eventually. Until then, thanks :)

 **Fluffykinz:** Thank you very much :D

 **Nyxy:** _So there you have it, folks. Not quite what I would've done here, but interesting none the less. Wynter's doing a pretty good job feigning innocence (and half of what she said was actually true), but of course it won't last. Despite liking the vixen, Judy can tell there's something strange going on, and you can bet she'll figure it out sooner rather than later. As for what's going on between Wynter and Nick, well, I'm not completely sure. Oh, and I blame you, Steffi, if this sucks and fails epically..._

 **Steffi:** _Yep, I know. You had your chance there Nyx, and you blew it. You see, I wrote the really rough first draft of this and gave it to her so she could work with it as always. Instead of actually writing though, she copypasted a whole bunch of OVERUSED MEMES everywhere and somehow deleted the file. Therefore, she let me take creative control in this (delayed) rewrite, which is what you just read. Only fair heh :3_

 **Nyxy:** _NOOT NOOT_

 **Steffi:** _Go back to the Memecenter abyss from which you came, spammer!_

 **Nyxy:** _Nah, I like it here way better. Anyway, all memes aside, we hope you enjoyed this and I promise the next chapter will have less fluffy junk and a lot more friendship and sci-fi as well as some history on iSANiTY and the Feralhights Experiments._

 **We'll return in the next 3-10 days with more, and as always, favs/follows and kind words are hugely appreciated :D Til next time, ZeroFoxGiven is signing off.**


	4. Fractures and Fractals

**We apologize for how long this has taken, and welcome back!**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Steffi:** _I know you guys are probably mad we vanished like that, but we really do have a reason! My computer which is also my family's computer died and since we can't afford a new one until June, I've been stuck writing on my brother's tablet. That would be fine except its ancient and overheats and crashes constantly. I have lost so much writing that way :(_

 **Nyxy:** _I unfortunately don't have such a valid excuse, but I do have a job and responsibilities that make writing rather low on the priority list. As a way of making it up to our loyal readers, we've got the antagonists to reveal a bit more than originally planned, which will hopefully keep your attention. Updates after this should be fairly on schedule, though._

 **Steffi:** _So there's our reasoning, now for our writing! Review replies and author goofiness at the end as always :D_

 **DISCLAIMER: If it's on this page, we don't own it obviously! Duh!**

* * *

 ** _Later that day..._**

Ezra stared longingly at a vibrant cityscape, framed by one of the room's towering picture windows. The evening sky was painted in swirling shades of lavender, and a majority of shops and residences were lighting up as the day came to a close. Eyes wide with youthful innocence, he could barely tear his gaze away from the glow of Zootopia's nightlife district, instead admiring each hazy neon flicker.

He'd grown up in a city of course, but it hadn't been anything like this. Feralheights was a place of poverty, corruption and sadness, though he knew from his parent's stories that it hadn't always been that way. Once, according to them, it had resembled Zootopia in its grandeur and architecture, though he'd come to doubt their proud statements recently. In Ezra's mind, nothing could compare to his current residence, with it's dizzying array of subcultures and brilliant _newness._

"I know you're not watching the cars go by. Darkin won't be back for a few more hours, so don't think you'll win any points for fake devotion," Vivian said flatly, flipping through the pages of a trashy novel as she lounged aimlessly on the expensive white couch.

Sighing, the coywolf tried to ignore her rudeness. There was still wonder in the world, no matter how hard animals like Vivian tried to destroy it. He really, truly believed that. Unfortunately, he also knew the bad things outweighed the good in life.

"I'm not trying to win points," he stated plainly, being careful to avoid leaving so much as a single pawprint on the pristine glass.

Vivian stretched half-heartedly, but made no effort to move from the comfort of her perch.

"I don't believe you, but fine. Honestly though, what is so fascinating about watching a bunch of Naturals run in circles for hours? I suppose their lack of intelligence can be entertaining, but you've lived here for over a month. It's nothing new."

Watching with lowered ears, Ezra could just make out the form of a family embracing on the street, and though he couldn't see their faces, he knew they were smiling. _Lucky._ As much as he tried to fight it, there was a familiar prickle of bitterness in the young coywolf's chest, and he didn't like it one bit.

Hoping for a distraction, the somewhat reckless canine decided to start an argument. "What's your problem with the Naturals anyway? I understand why you hate BlackIce, but these mammals haven't done anything wrong," he said, gesturing with a shaky flick of his paw to the reflective window.

Sitting up and crossing her slender legs, Vivian set down the book she'd been skimming and frowned, her ears pinned back in clear annoyance.

"We hate them because they are ignorant, but mostly because they think we're some sort of cheap science fiction gimmick. Cyborgs, or whatever the summer blockbuster of the year is selling to the masses. They live freely, while we have to hide our very existence, all despite the fact Changelings are infinitely superior. Why would we _not_ despise them?"

There was a sharp passion in her voice, and Ezra knew better than to keep pushing. If he continued, he'd end up starting a fight he couldn't finish.

"BlackIce doesn't hate them," he deflected, watching her response carefully.

Vivian's eyes narrowed and she growled softly, something which didn't go unnoticed by the room's younger occupant.

"BlackIce, if we must dignify them with a name, are simpleminded traitors of their own kind. They deny other Changelings the right to use our abilities in the way they were intended, and work to ensure we never claim the power and influence that rightfully belongs to us. They're just as bad as the Naturals. _In fact, they're worse."_

The hybrid was no expert on iSANiTY's long-running challenger, but he doubted they were as horrid as Vivian and Darkin would have him believe. It was certainly odd that they eschewed a movement meant to uplift their fellow Changelings, but he figured there had to be a reason. Indeed, some of the things his own organization had done in the name of success were best left untouched.

"I see your point," he lied, avoiding her judgemental gaze.

Appearing unimpressed by the pup's cautious agreement, Vivian gazed longingly at her discarded book.

"I'm not too worried, though. We've taken a city before, and BlackIce ultimately failed to prevent an exceptionally high number of casualties. Who's to say we can't do it again here?"

Satisfied with her words, the elegantly-dressed animal fluffed her crimson fur and sighed contentedly. This did not go over well with Ezra, who was currently battling both his growing fear and anger.

"Zootopia isn't exactly another Feralheights. I don't think you can convince everyone to look away for a couple grand like you could back there. It's not the same thing."

Almost immediately, he regretted being so forward. Vivian stood up slowly, her face a mask of near-emotionless rage.

 _"You're a stupid little pup, aren't you,"_ she half-whispered, slinking towards his shivering form, "there's a reason we haven't shared the details. iSANiTY will not be bribing anyone now, or ever again."

She sneered viciously, her usually seductive face twisted into something almost unrecognizable. Ezra instinctively slipped a paw into the pocket of his well-worn hoodie and gripped the corner of his phone, but was struck by the realization a moment later that he had absolutely no one he could call.

While Vivian was only a few inches taller and quite delicate in form, she seemed to tower over the coywolf as she continued her rant. _Hurry up, Darkin. Please._

"Let's just say that by the time anyone figures out Phase Two isn't another cheap NightHowler copycat, it will be far too late for BlackIce, the police, or any other pitiful band of mammals to stop us. We were created for this, after all. _Who are they to take away our destinies?"_

* * *

 ** _Back with our heroes..._**

Her favorite café was surprisingly busy for a weekday evening, but Judy didn't mind an upbeat change of pace. She recognized some of the more regular visitors, as well as a few rambunctious teens using as many sugar packets as they could possibly fit in a cup.

Watching such a thing would've probably proved quite entertaining, but Judy's attention was instead focused on an array of photographs and text currently being displayed by her brand new laptop's glossy screen.

Though it had at first seemed unnecessary, she'd decided to independently do a little research on the arctic fox they'd interviewed earlier. Her call to Penny had revealed nothing suspicious, but she hadn't been able to shake a nagging feeling that something was more than a little off about the vixen. Her curiosity and intuition had solved many a difficult case in the past, and running a name through Zoogle was pretty simple, all things considered.

Or at least, it _would've_ been simple if Nick hadn't insisted on posting a bunch of annoying comments to Wynter's lone social media page. Since they were off work for the day and Judy's search was technically unrelated to their case, she couldn't really find a valid reason to stop him.

"Will you hurry up? I don't think she'll even see that," Judy said, pausing as she sipped her latte, "by the looks of it, this page is pretty old."

The profile did have a few more recent text posts, but most of the photographs had been taken years ago in what must've been Feralheights. Judy couldn't recognize the area, though it appeared plain, worn-down and strangely vacant. Aside from Wynter and a few unfamiliar reccurring faces, it almost looked abandoned. The bunny had only seen two animals in the image backgrounds, and neither of them were even close to cheerful.

"Oh come on Carrots, let me have a little fun," Nick said smugly, sliding the device away from her end of the table and earning the sarcastic animal a glare from his best friend.

Judy rolled her eyes at him, setting down the half-full mug she'd been holding with a soft clink.

"If your idea of fun is starting fights with your ex over PawSpace, then I think I've found some new friends in your age group," the bunny enthused with a grin, turning to face a group of tweens taking selfies as they attempted to balance assorted desserts on their faces.

"Nice one, Whiskers. You _almost_ hurt my ego," the fox stated coolly, retaining his usual lazy confidence and half-lidded expression. It was obvious Nick wasn't particularly thrilled by her quip, but he wasn't getting defensive like earlier, either.

Judy laughed a bit, but didn't respond. Instead, she grabbed the smooth base of her laptop and yanked it back to her side of the table, carefully dodging her latte in the process. Judy couldn't be bothered to log Nick out of his account, instead returning her attention to the assortment of results her search had dug up, some of which seemed completely unrelated to their witness and made very little sense to the bunny cop.

Aside from her aforementioned PawSpace profile, Alexa Wynter didn't seem to have much of an online presence. There were a few newspaper articles mentioning her self-defense courses, and a cheap-looking bar that listed the vixen as a featured musician, neither of which Judy found noteworthy.

In fact, there seemed to be hardly anything of interest, unless you counted a few sites that looked like some form of foreign scam gone horribly wrong. Although curious, Judy knew better than to click on such a suspicious set of links.

Taking a drink of her latte, the bunny momentarily allowed her mind to wander back to the amnesia case, somewhat disappointed that she hadn't gained any new information.

"Hmm, what's this?" Nick asked, raising one eyebrow and reaching over to tap on the touchpad of her laptop. Before she had a chance to stop him, he'd loaded one of the dangerous-looking websites. _Great._

"If you give me a virus, you're replacing this," Judy muttered, only half joking.

Curiosity quickly got the better of her though, and she found herself reading what appeared to be a very strange internet forum. The background was black, with pixelated and pure white text. Whoever coded the thing hadn't made readability one of their priorities.

 _"I promise,"_ Nick responded slyly, in what had to be one of the least sincere voices she'd ever heard.

Leaning closer to her laptop's glowing screen, the violet-eyed mammal found herself becoming thoroughly confused. Going off what she'd read, the site seemed to be based around some sort of bizarre conspiracy.

Tilting her head, Judy gingerly clicked on one of the many threads.

"What exactly _is_ this?"

Nick shrugged. "Looks to me like a relaxing getaway for the tinfoil hats," he said sarcastically, watching his partner's animated expressions with pure amusement.

"Um, I guess so," she mumbled, scrolling down wordlessly after a few minutes of squinty-eyed reading.

The entire thing made very little sense to Judy. The site's users all seemed to be ranting about something called the 'Feralheights Experiment Conspiracy' and how it had either been caused or covered up by a variety of different organizations. Most blamed something called NEMO, but opinions varied and their disagreements often grew heated. As she'd never heard of these things, it was confusing and difficult to follow at best.

From what she'd managed to gather so far, the city of Feralheights had apparently been run by a corrupt government involved in funding high-tech experiments on its residents. What those experiments were was conveniently left up to interpretation, though the lack of information was supposedly a part of some big coverup by NEMO.

It also stated that these experiments had been directly responsible for the Feralheights disaster, something Judy had seen mentioned in passing but never really bothered to study.

Despite her lack of familiarity, it seemed exceptionally disrespectful to twist what had been a very real tragedy into some form of science fiction conspiracy.

As for the Feralheights disaster itself, if she were going by the site alone, then supposedly a large number of animals involved in the experiments had either rebelled or gone mad, causing massive damage to the city and its inhabitants. Not all post-experiment mammals had been affected, however. There was a rather persistent sitewide rumor that some were trying to prevent similar incidents by forming a vigilante justice movement, though they were frequently accused of being fictional or pawns designed to appease the public eye.

In all honesty, Judy thought the entire thing sounded like an excellent plot for a movie or book, but absolutely ridiculous as a real-life theory. It crossed her mind that the whole thing could be fake, and she had to hope it was. _Then again, who would put that amount of effort into faking something so obscure and presumably useless?_

Hitting back just a little too quickly, she returned to the page Nick had landed on when he'd so obnoxiously taken over her expensive new laptop. On it were a variety of official news articles, many edited to feature commentary from the site's owner, known only as 'Dark'.

Most were reports on the many casualties caused by a series of massive underground explosions and the resulting fires, which Feralheights had been completely under-equipped to deal with. Despite her familiarity with police work and the tragedies it could bring, Judy was genuinely horrified by some of the more graphic eyewitness accounts and contemplated closing her browser more than once.

A lot of the tiny words blurred together against an unforgiving background, but the bunny's eyes widened in shock when she noticed a specific name amongst the hundreds of eyewitnesses listed. _Alexa Wynter._

Reading further into the paragraph, she felt her temper flare.

 _While we were unable to reach authorities for comment, Feralheights Journal was on the scene immediately. Naturally, we managed to bypass security and access a group of survivors as they received field treatment. Some of these animals witnessed the entire scene take place, including the devastating fire which claimed hundreds of lives. Among them were Alexa Wynter, George Smallpaw, Louisa Katts and Jamie Whitetail. Due to time constraints and lack of witness cooperation, many of our interviews were unfortunately cut short. Still, as the first reporting agency on the grounds, we think they will give curious readers a glimpse of the juicy action._

Judy had always hated how callous and insensitive the press could be when dealing with a tragedy, but this was a new low. _Juicy action?_ They should be ashamed! Gritting her teeth and resisting the urge to thump her foot on the neatly tiled floor, the bunny took a deep breath before continuing.

Scrolling down in a state of near disbelief, her opinion of Feralheights Journal would only get worse.

 _The first mammal we attempted to interview was George Smallpaw. He hadn't been in the hot zone, but said he'd "never heard anything like it" and that "I honestly thought the sky was falling". Before we could ask him any more questions, he was dragged away by his wife towards one of the treatment areas and we were unable to follow without alerting security. Meanwhile, our second reporter was attempting to get information from another witness. Alexa Wynter had been only a few blocks away from the first explosion, but refused to share any useful details. When asked how the accident affected her, she replied "I lost my best friend in that inferno, so yeah, you could say it affected me". We pressed for more details on her reaction to the event, however she replied sharply that she was "under no obligation to answer that", and stormed off in an aggressive huff. Thankfully all was not lost, as we were able to continue our interrogation with Louisa Katts, who was hysterical but vivid and unflinching in her descriptions. "It was awful", she insisted with tears in her eyes, "the worst thing I've ever seen". She continued to shake and hyperventilate, but did not waiver in her responses until the medical team sent her away in an ambulance._

At this point, Zootopia's first rabbit officer was beyond angry. How dare they treat victims with such heartless indifference? Not to mention the way thinking of Wynter losing her best friend sent shivers down the petite mammal's spine. She simply couldn't imagine the loss her own best friend. Well, actually she _could,_ but... _No._ While Nick was at times exceptionally annoying, she loved him just as much as one of her many brothers. It was definitely best not to think of something as needlessly heart-wrenching as _that._

And speaking of Nick, the fox had long finished reading over her shoulder and was now wearing a sly grin and conversing with the rather flustered waitress, who currently held a tray of expensive and quickly-cooling specialty drinks. Judy couldn't help but smile. _Some things would never change, and she wouldn't want them to._

After the youthful leopard had gathered their dishes and given Nick one last naïve glance, Judy silently implored for her partner to finish reading the article that had made her so upset. At first he acted uninterested, but she noticed the subtle changes in his expression as it grew more serious. Considering he was a remarkably fast reader, it didn't take long before the fox was done.

"It's horrible, isn't it," Judy asked, yet again fighting the desire to tap her foot after skimming over a few of the descriptions.

"It is," Nick replied, without a trace of sarcasm. "The layout of this site is disgusting. Desperately needs an update, too." _Maybe she'd spoken too soon._

Judy rolled her eyes for what had to be the hundredth time that day. While an animal less familiar with Nick might've been offended by the fox's snarky response, she knew it was just his way of coping. He actually _did_ care, no matter how hard he tried to hide that fact behind an air of confident sarcasm.

Before she had a chance to say anything in response, the laptop made a loud and rather startling beep. Nearly flinching in surprise, Judy immediately traced the cause to a large notification that had popped up, hiding much of the strange forum behind it. She hoped it wasn't a virus, but could already imagine the bitter _I-told-you-so's_ she'd lovingly share with her fluffy-tailed partner if it was.

Reading quickly however, the bunny couldn't suppress a giggle. Wynter had definitely found the messages Nick left for her, and she was _not_ happy about them.

"She blocked you," Judy laughed, "and even left you a parting message. _Do you honestly think I wanna be reminded? Go away Nick!"_ She read it out loud happily, despite the fact her friend was more than capable of reading his ex's affectionate words alone. "What exactly did you _say?"_

"That's between me and Frostbite," the fox stated plainly, though she could tell his signature smirk was just a little too exaggerated.

Judy snickered. "I'm guessing it wasn't very polite."

"You'd make a good detective, Carrots," Nick said sarcastically, a flicker of mischief in his green eyes. The bunny grinned. She was grateful for the distraction from what she'd read earlier, but that didn't mean she couldn't play this game.

 _"It doesn't take a detective, you dumb fox."_

Nick leaned forward, lazily resting an arm on the table's polished surface.

"Nah, just a really sly bunny," he said, gazing at his best friend with a laid-back smile.

Exiting the browser and running a paw along her laptop's chrome exterior, the bunny closed it with a soft click, promising to continue her reading later.

"I can't argue with that", she chirped, energetically counting out the money for their evening snack. Brushing away a few remaining crumbs, she made sure to leave a generous tip as always.

"Now _that's_ a first," the fox laughed mockingly.

"Hey!" Judy exclaimed sulkily, standing up and stretching before she grabbed her laptop and slid it easily into its pale blue case. Nick, who was in no hurry to leave the comfort of his plush seat, simply watched her.

 _"What? It's true,"_ he said gleefully, making a fake dash for the door as though Judy were about to tackle him for using her words against her. _If she could've managed it without risking a wipeout in the café entrance, then the bunny probably would've tried._

Later, she and Nick could be heard teasing each other playfully in the ways only close friends could, both mammals enjoying a carefree ride home. She'd buckle down and continue her research on the amnesia cases once she was alone and back at her apartment, but until then, the night was theirs. Though she loved her career and wouldn't trade it for the world, Judy found herself looking forward to Friday, when they'd truly be able to have fun and live it up. Until then however, she'd be quite content to make a bit of progress on her work. _If only it were that easy..._

* * *

 **Nyxy:** _Story's over, kids! Now for review time._

 **Steffi:** _Yup :D My fave time! Shout out to those who faved and followed as well!_

 **Gil:** Wow, thanks! You've officially left the longest review on this fic! We won't be able to respond to many of your points due to length, but your review was wonderful and encouraged us to keep our heads up and keep writing. As you can see, the story is starting to take a darker turn. We can only hope it has an action movie vibe, but that's really cool you think so. It's awesome you think we've got the characters down and like our original additions, too. Also good to hear you find iSANiTY sinister, since that's what we were going for with them. We hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you. Again, thanks!

 **Dirtkid123:** OMGoodness, thank you so much! I made an inhuman noise reading your wonderful review, so I guess we're even! Lol, we're thrilled you love it so much, wow! :D

 **Snoring Dragon Productions:** Thanks so much! :D What is Ezra's deal? Well, maybe this chapter will help shine some light on it. So glad you liked the details and the villains, it's amazing to hear that. Oh, Nick most definitely had a good reason, though Lexi doesn't know it. They should probably talk it out but hah, like that'll ever happen. They're clueless dumb foxes, after all XD Yep, Judy knows, and yeah, Wynter can usually hold her own in that department unless you get her real mad. Thanks again!

 **Winter Sprinkles:** Thanks so much! We're amazed at how many people love our OCs, it's such a nice surprise :D Lol I see what you did there ;)

 **Steffi:** _So there you have it folks. A little darker than some of our previous scenes, but we thought it would be good to reveal some info on what our favorite characters are up against. The next few chapters will be more fun, I promise :D Also, take a look at the gorgeous cover image of Wynter made by none other than Nyxy herself. And then check out the detailed OC profiles on our profile if you're so inclined :3_

 **Nyxy:** _Thanks for the compliment on my art! Backstory and the antagonist's motivations are vital to a good story, Steffi. This was a fairly difficult chapter to write, but I rather like how it turned out. I'm sure our dear readers will have quite a few questions, so I'll try to answer them. First of all, Ezra isn't as young as Vivian makes him sound. He's 14 years old, which actually is incredibly young to be involved with stuff like iSANiTY, so yeah. And yes, he's very jealous of animals with happy families... Wonder why? Also, in case you didn't realize it, the Naturals are normal, unmodified animals and Changelings are the modified ones, like Wynter and Ezra. Most Changelings hate the Naturals, though I'm sure you can see that's not always the case. As for backstory, we chose to focus more on BlackIce as revealing too much about iSANiTY or NEMO would ruin the suspense. Oh, and what exactly is NEMO? Good, bad or somewhere in between? You'll have to keep reading! What I will say is that the info Judy and Nick stumbled across was not leaked by accident. Who put it there? Patience, my dear readers..._

 **Steffi:** _Nyxy loves cliffhangers. If she can't put them in the story then she'll put them in the author notes. :) But hey, thanks for reading! I apologize again for the wait, and we'll be getting back on track soon. Please fave, follow and review if you enjoyed this and want more, we always appreciate the kind words!_

 **Thanks for reading, and we'll be back soon! Expect another chapter in 7-14 days. Bye y'all! ZeroFoxGiven awayyy~**


	5. Revenge is Best Served Cold

**Hello to our loyal readers, we've missed ya!**

 **Nyxy:** _I think everyone here deserves an explanation for our vanishing act. This crazy hiatus thing was mostly my fault, unfortunately. I've been doing all my writing on my phone for the last two or so years, which can be pretty awkward but never really let me down. Well, I finally got my own computer, so I decided to write on that. Big mistake, as most of my stuff got accidentally deleted by my mom... Yeah. That happened. Anyway, combine that with the stress of getting our house ready to sell and you've got a recipe for writing disaster. I am sorry, and probably cursed. Literally everyone I know is having computer issues... Hopefully I didn't jinx y'all by saying that._

 **Steffi:** _Everything she said is true though I wish we hadn't fallen so far behind! I miss writing! Anyway, thanks for reading another chapter! Really it means a ton to us, and of course shoutouts to everyone who faved, followed and reviewed :D_

 **Nyxy:** _Now, parts of this chapter are a little darker, though it has its more lighthearted moments, as well as pushing the plot forward and revealing some important information. As always, replies and A/N at the end of the chapter. We hope you enjoy._

 **DISCLAIMER: We own absolutely zip, zero, nada of everything featured below!**

* * *

 **Friday Evening...**

Late-day light flickered erratically through the bus windows, illuminating a diverse and lively set of passengers. Judy usually enjoyed watching the citizens of Zootopia and their endearingly quirky behavior, but at the moment she was too busy reading a sheet of case-related facts to really notice what they were doing.

She and her partner hadn't made much headway towards solving the mysterious amnesia incidents, but the optimistic bunny wasn't about to let it dampen her spirits. She'd left work late today after apprehending a wily purse thief, and returning some irreplaceable photos to a kindly grandmother had been beyond rewarding. Much like Mrs. Otterton, the misty-eyed mammal had given Judy a grateful hug and thanked her personally. Remembering the event brought a smile to the officer's face, papers momentarily forgotten on her lap.

It was then that the bus hit a particularly large pothole and jolted harshly, sending a fair number of standing passengers tumbling towards seats or the ground. The animal in front of Judy had been no exception, nearly careening into her and then landing rather clumsily amid a mess of files and whatever else he'd been carrying.

Judy hadn't paid much attention to him until he'd practically taken her out, but found herself somewhat confused by the animal struggling to organize and return her papers. He most closely resembled a wolf in her opinion, but the canine's dusty gold fur and foxlike size made that unlikely. Judy knew it wasn't polite to stare and tried to be discreet, but she had always been terribly curious. Luckily, he hadn't seemed to notice.

"I uhm, I'm really sorry, ma'am. I'll help you pick everything up, please don't be mad at me," he stuttered apologetically, lowering his head and pawing a few of the scattered files back to her. She reached out to help, which immediately made him flinch as though he were expecting to be hit.

Smiling reassuringly at the nervous youth, Judy tucked the documents under her leg for safekeeping and leaned down to help him gather his own stuff.

 _"Why would I be mad,"_ she asked in a surprised tone, "it was an accident, and no harm done anyway. I've dropped plenty of papers before." Judy smiled again at the other passenger, hoping a mention of her own mistakes would take the edge off their situation and ease any tensions. She didn't understand why he was so fearful, but it was in her nature to try and help others.

Looking her up and down with large, almost glowing hazel eyes, the mammal relaxed slightly.

"I'm sorry, I must sound totally crazy, right? Thank you for helping me, though. You didn't have to."

"Oh, nonsense. It's the least I can do," Judy said, balancing precariously on the edge of her seat while she grabbed at a strangely futuristic flashlight that had rolled just out of reach. It took her a minute, but the determined bunny succeeded at retrieving it.

It was only when she sat up to return the item that she realized the younger animal was reading one of the now-exposed pages of her file.

 _"The amnesia mystery,"_ he mumbled, staring at the page as though transfixed by its contents. _"I didn't think anyone else remembered."_

"What do you mean remembered?" Judy blurted, ears pricked and eager for any potential information the canine might share.

"You know, the Feralheights amnesia incidents. They happened years ago, right before the disaster. A lot of mammals at the time claimed they were related. I don't think so, though. At least, not in the way they implied."

 _So there had been similar occurrences before, only in Feralheights? Maybe she should've paid more attention to that bizarre site she'd stumbled upon._ Mind whirling with half-formed ideas and theories, Judy had all but forgotten the Tropicool and her plans for later.

"What can you tell me about them?" The bunny asked in what she hoped was a professional tone, quickly pulling out her notebook and trusty carrot pen.

"Nothing you can't find online, sadly. I was just a pup when it happened, but I remember the crowds and how everything was covered by black smoke. Wish I could help more, but Feralheight's basically a closed case anyway. I really hope you solve it, though. There are a lot of mammals still seeking closure, and maybe it would help to know who or what caused everything to go so wrong." His voice was calm, but at the same time had an almost mournful quality.

With an unreadable shrug, he pulled the hood of his jacket over his shimmering eyes and glanced nervously at the surrounding animals.

Nodding thoughtfully, Judy scribbled down the few details he'd shared and made sure to set aside an hour or two for research. It seemed outlandish and rather fantastic to think the two cases could be in any way related, but the bunny had learned that things were almost always more complex than they first appeared.

Before she could ask any more questions, the bus slowed to a crawl once again.

"This is my stop," the canine stated as he turned to leave, "good luck with the amnesia thing, _Judy._ I really hope you figure everything out. _We're counting on it."_

 _Now that was just plain odd._

How had he known her name? Granted, she had been in the paper a lot last year, and it was possible that he knew her from there. _Likely, even._ Still, the encounter was slightly unnerving. It didn't help that she'd seen the same unnaturally vibrant eyes before on a completely different animal, one who had also been linked to both Feralheights and her case...

She'd have to question Wynter more thoroughly about the fallen city, and maybe even a few supposed conspiracies. The vixen had been quite pleasant and open with her before, and she figured if she could keep Nick away long enough, the witness might willingly share whatever she knew.

It's not like the bunny had much to lose, anyway. Information relating to unexplained amnesia was starting to pile up, but for now it was just a jumble of random events, mammals and crimes interwoven by what appeared to be unrelated forces. Judy was anxious to talk things over with Nick, who was usually excellent at picking out details she'd glossed over in a rush to unearth the bigger picture, among other things.

She doubted her partner would enjoy spending a portion of his night off discussing theories on seemingly useless cold cases from distant cities, but that's exactly what the bunny cop intended to do. Unlikely or not, there was no way she was letting a shred of potentially valuable evidence escape. The ZPD was going to have this case solved before anything truly horrible could happen, and _that_ was a promise.

* * *

Stepping off the bus with unsteady legs, Ezra tried in vain to calm his racing heart as he approached the penthouse apartment he'd been staying in. _If he got caught, the game was already over._

Tipping off Judy had been an incredibly difficult balancing act, but he'd had to do it. Hopefully, she'd take the bait and start revealing Feralheights' many demented truths and secrets on her own before it was too late. The coywolf knew Darkin had leaked plenty of genuine classified material for iSANiTY's fear-mongering tactics, and he could only hope it would backfire epically and lead to their downfall. If his plan failed, he'd have to accidentally bump into the bunny again without arousing suspicions, which was far easier said than done when your target was both intelligent and observant.

For now however, he would turn his attention to anonymously contacting BlackIce. Conversing with what were supposed to be his sworn enemies was far from anything the mammal wanted to do, but at this point he had no choice. Though he disagreed with many of their core beliefs and felt more than a twinge of betrayal, it was ultimately for the best.

The things iSANiTY had planned were beyond horrifying, but Ezra had to admit they were brilliantly twisted in the worst way. Using the failure of another extremist as a cover for their own agenda was ingenious, almost terrifyingly so. Law enforcement would be too busy hunting down any mammals related to the previous case to realize what was really taking place, giving them time to concoct an elaborate cover. By the time someone caught on, iSANiTY's brainwashed Changelings would've done enough damage to give them more than a fair chance at success.

BlackIce would of course fight back anyways, but he doubted they could make a difference. At best, they might buy Zootopia a bit of precious time. He'd seen leader after leader of the controversial group lowered into an early grave, and had no doubt the arctic fox with the yellow eyes would be next, followed closely by thousands of civilians unfortunate enough to be caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 _It was a horrible cycle, but a cycle nonetheless._ Ezra had seen it twice before in Feralheights, and it looked as though he would witness the same story play out again on a far grander scale. _Unless, of course, the cycle could be broken._

After all, it wasn't only heroes that could be heroic.

 _Okay, okay, so he'd stolen that line from one of his favorite movies._ That didn't make it any less true.

* * *

"I still can't believe I'm not helping Diesel and Otto decode that message. What's the point of this anyway? You want me undercover or something?" Wynter asked rather harshly, gesturing to the deer who was currently brushing her fur with a serene smile.

"You're going on stage tonight, Lexi," Jane answered simply, slowing down when she felt a tangle in the vixen's snowy coat.

Wynter crossed her legs and stared at a faintly illuminated digital clock with narrowed and impatient eyes. iSANiTY hadn't made so much as a single move since Monday, and she _should be_ with the rest of BlackIce trying to figure out exactly why that was. _Should be._ Instead, she was stuck being primped and preened by an oddly enthusiastic Doe, who was putting her experience working as a personal stylist to good use.

"Yeah, at the _Tropicool,_ " she said sarcastically. "Stripeton wouldn't care if I was wearing a trash bag as long as I sang a few sappy covers for his charming patrons."

Fluffing the vixen's tail with a flick of her hoof, Jane studied her friend momentarily before retrieving a tube of expensive-looking mascara.

"Maybe it's not about Stripeton," she said coyly, glancing over her shoulder as though she feared someone was listening in on them. Considering Otto could bug the intercom in his sleep if he so desired, it likely wasn't much reassurance.

This only earned a groan from Wynter. "I'm sure the rest of the Tropicool is equally indifferent to whatever their budget performer looks like, and that's if they're even sober enough to notice. Trust me there, Doe."

Jane sighed, sounding somewhat disillusioned.

"If you want to catch the attention of that cutie who interviewed you, then you've got to dress the part. Now open your eyes as wide as you can for me, and don't move," the deer instructed.

Wynter's vivid yellow eyes did get quite round, but not because of Doe's instructions.

 _"Why on earth would Judy Hopps care what I was wearing?_ That makes absolutely zero sense," the vixen said incredulously, "and don't call bunnies cute. It's rude and they don't appreciate it. I thought you would know that."

Applying a thin coat of mascara with practiced hooves, the deer smiled mischievously.

"I'm not talking about Judy, and I think _you_ know _that._ I mean, it's not like you were subtle about your interest. He wasn't either, so I'd say it's mutual."

Her teasing tone didn't go over well with Wynter, who looked about ready to punch her eternally stylish friend in the face.

"If you're implying I have anything other than bitter indifference towards Wilde, then you better paw over those weapons right now because I won't have anyone that far off the mark operating firearms. _We clear?"_ Her voice was trembling with poorly-concealed rage, but to the vixen's credit, she didn't snap.

Doe just giggled, warm brown eyes alight with an impish glow.

"Come on Lexi, it's so obvious. The arguing, the one-liners, that three-second stare... Just like the beginning of every romantic comedy _ever."_

Gritting her teeth, Wynter tried to recall breathing exercises from some anger management documentary she'd watched a month or two ago. So far, they weren't helping much.

"I hate romantic comedies with a passion, and I'm not in love. Not even close."

Putting away the mascara and nodding in satisfaction at her work, Jane shrugged.

"I'm not saying you are. That'd be beyond ridiculous. Love takes time, and a lot of work. You could be eventually, though." She fluttered her perfectly-curled lashes, and the vixen cringed.

"Yeah, like I haven't heard all that saccharine idiocy before. And putting aside the fact that Wilde is my ex, which you already know, and that I strongly dislike him, there's more than a few glaring flaws in your little plan."

The deer raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"First of all, there's the tiny detail of us being wanted for causing Zootopia's amnesia issues, as well as how I pretty much lied straight to everyone's faces. _I would consider that a notable problem, Doe._ Nothing compared to the Natural Evolution Management Organization, however. Remember what happened last time someone got on NEMO's bad side? _Pain._ Pain for days."

Wynter tried to stay deadpan, but the ridiculousness of Jane's "idea" made it difficult to keep a serious face. _Dating Wilde?_ She probably couldn't have come up with a more horrendous proposition if she'd tried. Not only would it compromise everything BlackIce had spent years working towards, it was just plain stupid. The vixen valued her ability to view everything with cold and detached logic, but simply being in the same room as that fox messed with her mind and made it nearly impossible for Wynter to control her already fragile temper.

"It's all because of them, isn't it," Doe pouted, "I mean, a rule like no meaningful relationships with Naturals? _What even is that?"_ She sounded more than a touch distressed, something which made the vixen feel rather guilty. Jane was the type of mammal who thrived on relationships, and yet their line of work made such frivolous things impossible.

"It's sensible, Jane. We might look similar, but Changelings themselves are an oddity that truly don't belong anywhere. NEMO created us, and they know what we're capable of. Can't blame them for wanting to cover their tails, especially with iSANiTY on the prowl. I hate it, but I see their point. Probably for the best our world never touches theirs."

The vixen's ears lowered ever so slightly as she spoke, the reality of their risky lifestyle sinking in. Tomorrow was never promised, especially not when you were fighting against something like iSANiTY. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to lighten up and let everyone have a bit of fun, even if just for tonight.

"I guess you're right," the deer said, recovering her usual poise. "I _was_ acting a bit immature back there. Saving lives is obviously more important than having a love life, and it's partly the dedication that makes BlackIce so rewarding." She smiled a bit and neatly packed up her bag of makeup, but the vixen wasn't fooled so easily.

Running a paw through her fur, Wynter sighed thoughtfully.

"All very true, but I want you to enjoy your time as well. I'm more than happy never going on another date in my life, but that's not the norm. Why don't you come with me to the Tropicool and live it up a little? I know it's a crappy scene, but it's gotta beat sitting at the HQ panicking over iSANiTY's next move."

The animal's eyes practically glistened with newfound hope.

"Thank you! What about Otto though? He's got dibs on time off tonight and he's already going with you."

"I'm sure Diesel can hold the place down for a few hours as long as she's got her games and a phone charger. It's my treat, I guess. Go act like a Natural if that's what you want, and be assured I'll keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Now, I'm gonna go help with the decoding because that's what I _should_ have been doing all along."

With a flick of her fluffy tail, the vixen stood and began making her way to the cramped computer room, where she could hear Otto and Diesel clicking away and occasionally groaning in frustration.

"Can't you do that after I find you something to wear?" Jane called, causing Wynter to roll her eyes in apathetic distaste. That deer would do well to get over her obsession with all things fashionable.

"No, because I'm already dressed." She continued toward her destination, but a determined Doe was not something easily discouraged.

"You can't seriously be considering wearing that oversized mess to a _nightclub,"_ the fashionista half-whispered dramatically, staring at the retreating figure with a look of what could only be described as faux-pas induced horror.

Unfortunately for her friend, the arctic mammal was quickly losing whatever patience she had left.

"It's clean, and I can fight in it if I have to. Good enough for me."

Wynter expected some form of dramatic response, but the other animal stayed eerily calm.

 _"Alrighty then._ If you're more interested in breaking codes than breaking hearts, it should work just fine."

The way Jane phrased it made her ridiculous proposition sound almost tempting. Wynter had never been the type to string others along, but there was _one_ heart she wouldn't mind messing with... _a break for a break was fair, wasn't it?_ One night of living normally couldn't really hurt anyone... or could it?

 _Decisions, decisions._

* * *

 **Nyxy:** _Another chapter done! Steffi's really proud because she wrote the end paragraphs all on her own. She wanted to end things on a less foreboding aspect, and I figured hey, why not? So Wynter's out to get even with someone... Let us all wish her luck as it's unlikely to go as planned. Lots of foreshadowing in this chapter, and things are beginning to take a darker and more serious turn. The next chapter is gonna be a bit more upbeat and filled with snarky banter, so I wouldn't worry TOO much yet..._

 **Steffi:** _Oh you should be worried... that you might be 100 before you see another update! Lol kidding, I'm kidding! We're leaving that issue behind don't worry :D_

 **Nyxy: And now, for our review responses:**

 **DirtKid123:** Because we're evil MWAHAHA! Lol, but things are getting crazy, huh? Thanks for the review :D

 **BoomBoom:** Well hello new reviewer! Your review made my day! 8D It was Nyxy's idea to mix Zootopia and dark sci-fi, and it does seem to work. Thanks for all the compliments on everything, especially our OCs. It legit means a ton to both of us :3 Lol I don't think it's weird that you have a crush on Wynter , I think it's super sweet ;) I think we all hate Vivian, she's just really hateable... But if you think she's bad now, oh boy you're in for a treat XD Anyway, thanks again! Seriously, YOU are amazazing! :3

 **PurrfecrlyWordy:** Thanks for reading, and of course reviewing. I'm glad you think we kept everyone in character, that's excellent to hear. Hah, I guess there is a bit of a similarity between Wynter and her predecessor, though I hope Wynter is more believable. Ezra will indeed continue to play a role, and I'll never judge you, my friend. PS - Your last review literally made me grin!

 **Snoring Dragon Productions:** Aww, thanks so much! Ezra is an interesting character for sure... and he's started on the long road to redemption :3 I hope you like this chapter and look forward to sharing more of them with you and everyone else :D We may post a few oneshots based off this or with our OCs so if anyone's interested in that, let us know!

 **Nyxy:** _Well, that's that I guess! Back to procrastinating, er, writing._

 ** _Steffi: Oh, and before you go, it'd be super awesome if you'd check out the poll we've got up on our profile. You can vote for your favorite iSANiTY: Cold Hearts OCs and let us know who you'd like to see more of down the road! Cool, right? :D_**

 **Thanks again for reading! Of course, faves, follows and kind words are always appreciated :D This is ZeroFoxGiven signing off, and we'll be back with more in around 7-14 days :3 Stay awesome!**


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